CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Central Arkansas tennis team took one step closer to their first ever SLC championship with a narrow 4-3 win over the defending SLC champion McNeese Cowgirls on Friday morning in Corpus Christi, Texas. The win places the Bears in a semifinals matchup with the No. 2 seed Northwestern State Lady Demons on Friday at 2 p.m. The Bears fell 4-3 to the Lady Demons in their only regular season matchup on March 16.
This will be the third time in the last four seasons that the Bears have reached the SLC Tournament Semifinals.
UCA 4, MCNEESE 3
Entering singles play with a 1-0 advantage, freshman Fuka Nonoyama proved too much for Charoline Erlandsson at the No. 2 with a 6-1, 6-4 sweep to make it 2-0. Entering the match, Erlandsson flexed a 9-2 SLC record and 14-2 record at the No. 2 spot. After the Cowgirls responded with a narrow sweep at the No. 4 to make it 2-1, freshman Chunxi Xin captured a 6-4, 6-4 sweep to get her team one point closer to victory. McNeese did not go away though as they scored two unanswered points to tie it up at 3-3. Senior Rada Manataweewat dropped a nail-biter at No. 6 as she fell 7-5, 7-6 (8-6). With one court remaining, the match rested on senior QiLi Ma's shoulders. After winning the first set 6-3, Ma dropped the second set 7-5 to leave it up to set three. Ma took full advantage of the moment as she blanked her opponent in set three 6-0 to capture the first-round win for the Bears.
In doubles play, sophomore Yada Vasupongchai and Nonoyama teamed up for just the fourth time all year and took the No. 3 court 6-2 to start the match. Xin and senior Marli Van Heerden showed why they were voted best No. 1 doubles team in the conference as they won 6-3 to award Central Arkansas the crucial doubles point.
Head Coach Casey Wharton was very happy to see Ma live up to the moment after everything she has been through this season.
"At the end, it was a testament to Ma," Wharton said. "It's been a tough year for her physically. But mentally, I've always believed in her. I was really, really proud that it came down to her and that she could show herself that she wanted the moment."
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The Bears will face the No. 2 seed Northwestern State Lady Demons tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the semifinals. Wharton knows that tomorrow's match will be just as tough if not tougher than today's battle.
"Northwestern State is very good and very well coached," Wharton said. "They're disciplined and can hit every shot. It's going to be just as hard to win the doubles point and they're going to fight just as hard in singles.
I think the biggest thing we need to do between now and then is just recover and not think past the moment because it comes and goes so fast."
For in-game updates during tomorrow's match, follow @SouthlandSports on Twitter. For game recaps and all things Bears, follow @UCATennis.
