MESA, Ariz. – The top-seeded University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's tennis team fell 0-4 to No. 2 UMKC in the championship match of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on Sunday at the Mesa Tennis Center.
 
UTRGV (14-9) fell behind early as UMKC (15-9) took two out of the three doubles courts. Juniors Marine Darzyan and Dominique Ibarra got UTRGV ahead in doubles with a 6-2 win over Melinda Johnson and Yana Grechkina on court one but UMKC followed with wins on courts two and three taking the 1-0 lead into singles.
 
In singles, UMKC picked up wins on courts three and one to extend its lead to 3-0. On court five, junior Doris Aleksovska fell 0-6 in the first set to Thanushree Vale and then found herself trailing in the second before battling back to tie the set at six games apiece.
 
Aleksovska and Vale went back and forth but Aleksovska fell 6-8 in the tiebreaker clinching the win for UMKC.
 
UTRGV took the other three matches to three sets as junior Dominque Ibarra, sophomore Anastasia Belyaeva and freshman Lasya Patnaik were each up in the third set when the matches were stopped. 
 
UTRGV's season comes to a close after winning the program's first-ever WAC Regular Season Championship and recording the program's most home wins in a season with 10. 
 
Singles (3,1,5)
1. Aliona Ladutska (UMKC) def. Dominique Esparza (UTRGV) 6-2, 6-3
2. Dominique Ibarra (UTRGV) def. Katie Fries (UMKC) 6-0, 2-6, 3-2 unfinished
3. Melinda Johnson (UMKC) def. Marine Darzyan (UTRGV) 6-1, 6-2
4. Anastasia Belyaeva (UTRGV) vs. Yana Grechkina (UMKC) 2-6, 6-4, 4-3 unfinished
5. Thanushree Vale (UMKC) def. Doris Aleksovska (UTRGV) 6-0, 7-6 (6)
6. Lasya Patnaik (UTRGV) def. Grace Ball (UMKC) 6-2, 2-6, 5-2 unfinished
 
Doubles (1,2,3)
1. Marine Darzyan/Dominique Ibarra (UTRGV) def. Melinda Johnson/Yana Grechkina (UMKC) 6-2
2. Aliona Ladutska/Grace Ball (UMKC) def. Dominique Esparza/ Doris Aleksovska (UTRGV) 6-3
3. Katie Fries/Thanushree Vale (UMKC) def. Anastasia Belyaeva/Lasya Patnaik (UTRGV) 6-3

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