Loper Athletics
EDMOND, OKLA. – The 15th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney women’s tennis team downed 14th-ranked Washburn, 4-2, in a MIAA Tournament semifinal match Saturday afternoon in Edmond, Okla.
The top-seeded Lopers (19-4) will face Missouri Western State (16-3) Sunday at 10 a.m. in the finals. Earlier this year, UNK rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Griffons, 4-3.
Today’s dual against the Ichabods (19-5) began in the morning but was delayed for several hours by inclement weather. UNK, the MIAA regular season champions, still beat WU for the second consecutive dual.
In doubles, the Lopers 31st-ranked pair of Melisa Becerra (Colombia) and junior Narindra Ranaivo(Madagascar) got past 7th-ranked Jung/Schmid of WU by a 6-3 score. Things were tied at three before UNK ran off the final three points. At three, freshmen Fabiana Gamboa (Venezuela) and Tanyaradzwa“Tanya” Midzi (Zimbabwe) managed a 7-5 victory to make it 1-0 on the scoreboard. They broke a 5-5 tie by scoring four straight points and then never looked back.
Washburn won at six singles to tie things up at one, but Ranaivo won in straight sets at four (6-2, 6-0) and Gamboa did the same at three (6-2, 6-3) to make it 3-1. After the ‘Bods rallied to win at one, UNK closed things out as Becerra beat Renske Ubachs at two (7-6, 2-6, 6-1). She was down 4-1 in the first set before rallying for a key point.
