On Thursday, the No. 6 seeded Utes had what it took to upset the No. 3 seeded San Diego Aztecs, but Utah could not recapture the upset magic Friday when it fell to the No. 2 TCU Horned Frogs.
TCU topped the Utes 4-1 in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference women’s tennis championships before knocking off top-ranked UNLV in the championship match 4-1 to win the 2009 MWC Championship. The win marked TCU’s second MWC Championship in the conference’s 10-year history.
“We lost a very competitive match to the highest nationally ranked team in the league,” said head coach Mat Iandolo. “Overall, I feel good about our performance in the tournament and think that we ended the season on a positive note.”
TCU won the doubles point behind inspired performances by Katariina Tuohimaa and Kayla Duncan, who topped Utah sophomore Evgenia Kryuchkova and senior Leigh Walsh 8-0.
The junior tandem of Erin Monson and Andrea Maughan wasn’t enough for the No. 17 team of Anna Sydorska and Macall Harkins, who beat the juniors 8-5.
Utah’s lone point was scored by freshman Lexi Provancha, who defeated Idunn Hertzberg at the No. 5 spot, 6-3, 6-4. The one and six matches were called when TCU’s Duncan beat Walsh at the fourth position in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3 clinching the match and a spot in the championship for the Horned Frogs.