Friday, April 21
Toledo, Ohio
1:00 PM
University of Toledo
4
vs
3
Buffalo
Toledo's 10th-straight win made history on Friday night as the Rockets claimed their first-ever regular season MAC title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
Photo by: Bree Bee
Rockets Defeat Buffalo to Claim Program’s First Regular Season Championship
4/21/2023 6:55:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Victory over Bulls secures No 1. seed in MAC Tournament for Toledo
TOLEDO, Ohio – Junior Cassie Alcala's victory at the No. 1 singles clinched match point for Toledo over Buffalo on Friday afternoon. It also secured the first-ever regular season MAC Championship for the Rockets.
In front of a packed Twos Athletic Club, Toledo won the double point and three quick singles matches to clinch the win before settling on a 4-3 margin of victory. The victory was 10th straight for the Rockets, who improved 18-3, 9-0 in Mid-American Conference play.Â
"Wow. It's a surreal moment for this program," said Head Coach Tracy Mauntler. "We've worked so incredibly hard to get here. These players have worked through so much adversity to get to today. They are the greatest competitors I have ever been around. But we have one more big goal to check off our list, so stay tuned."
Friday's win secured the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament for Toledo, a first for the program, and matched the Rockets' most wins in a regular season, which was set by last year's 18-7 team. Toledo is a game ahead of Ball State (8-1 MAC) in the league standings with one game to play for both schools, but will be the No. 1 seed no matter what happens in the season finale by virtue of holding the tie-breaker. Toledo, which defeated Ball State on March 26, can clinch an outright title with a win over Bowling Green on Sunday.
Toledo opened the match by claiming the doubles team point in just 27 minutes. Sloane Teske then got the first individual victory of the afternoon from the No. 2 court with a quick 6-1, 6-3 victory. Shalini Tallamraju followed with a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 3. Moments later, Alcala came away with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph, igniting an impromptu Rocket celebration on the court.
Following Alcala's match clincher, the Bulls went on to win three straight singles matches at the No. 4, 5, and 6 courts, but it only delayed Toledo's team celebration at the end of the match.
Toledo will face Bowling Green on Sunday to finish up the regular season. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Perrysburg Tennis Center.
The 2023 MAC Women's Tennis Championships will be hosted by Ball State in Muncie, Ind. Semifinals will take place on Saturday, April 29 at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., with the championship match set for Sunday, April 30 at noon. Pairings for the semifinals will be determined following Sunday's matches, and as the No. 1 seed, Toledo will be playing in the 10:00 a.m. game.
Toledo 4, Buffalo 3
Doubles
1. Sloane Teske/ Mariona Perez (TOL) 6-1
2. Sanjana Tallamraju/ Julia Kuszynski (TOL) 6-0
3. Cassie Alcala/ Laura Morera (TOL) 4-1, unfinished
Singles
1. Cassie Alcala (TOL) 6-2, 6-2
2. Sloane Teske (TOL) 6-1, 6-3
3. Shalini Tallamraju (TOL) 6-2, 6-0
4. Ambre Amat (UB) 7-5, 3-6, 11-9
5. Gabriella Akopyan (UB) 7-6(5), 6-4
6. Mariana Carvajal Torres (UB) 6-2, 3-6, 10-7
In front of a packed Twos Athletic Club, Toledo won the double point and three quick singles matches to clinch the win before settling on a 4-3 margin of victory. The victory was 10th straight for the Rockets, who improved 18-3, 9-0 in Mid-American Conference play.Â
"Wow. It's a surreal moment for this program," said Head Coach Tracy Mauntler. "We've worked so incredibly hard to get here. These players have worked through so much adversity to get to today. They are the greatest competitors I have ever been around. But we have one more big goal to check off our list, so stay tuned."
Friday's win secured the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament for Toledo, a first for the program, and matched the Rockets' most wins in a regular season, which was set by last year's 18-7 team. Toledo is a game ahead of Ball State (8-1 MAC) in the league standings with one game to play for both schools, but will be the No. 1 seed no matter what happens in the season finale by virtue of holding the tie-breaker. Toledo, which defeated Ball State on March 26, can clinch an outright title with a win over Bowling Green on Sunday.
Toledo opened the match by claiming the doubles team point in just 27 minutes. Sloane Teske then got the first individual victory of the afternoon from the No. 2 court with a quick 6-1, 6-3 victory. Shalini Tallamraju followed with a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 3. Moments later, Alcala came away with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph, igniting an impromptu Rocket celebration on the court.
Following Alcala's match clincher, the Bulls went on to win three straight singles matches at the No. 4, 5, and 6 courts, but it only delayed Toledo's team celebration at the end of the match.
Toledo will face Bowling Green on Sunday to finish up the regular season. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Perrysburg Tennis Center.
The 2023 MAC Women's Tennis Championships will be hosted by Ball State in Muncie, Ind. Semifinals will take place on Saturday, April 29 at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., with the championship match set for Sunday, April 30 at noon. Pairings for the semifinals will be determined following Sunday's matches, and as the No. 1 seed, Toledo will be playing in the 10:00 a.m. game.
Toledo 4, Buffalo 3
Doubles
1. Sloane Teske/ Mariona Perez (TOL) 6-1
2. Sanjana Tallamraju/ Julia Kuszynski (TOL) 6-0
3. Cassie Alcala/ Laura Morera (TOL) 4-1, unfinished
Singles
1. Cassie Alcala (TOL) 6-2, 6-2
2. Sloane Teske (TOL) 6-1, 6-3
3. Shalini Tallamraju (TOL) 6-2, 6-0
4. Ambre Amat (UB) 7-5, 3-6, 11-9
5. Gabriella Akopyan (UB) 7-6(5), 6-4
6. Mariana Carvajal Torres (UB) 6-2, 3-6, 10-7
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
12
Pia Schwartz / 0 [UBW]
22
66
#2 Singles Match
12
Azra Deniz Comlek / 0 [UBW]
13
66
#3 Singles Match
12
Baska Akbas / 0 [UBW]
20
66
#4 Singles Match
123
Ambre Amat / 0 [UBW]
7311
569
#5 Singles Match
12
Gabriella Akopyan / 0 [UBW]
76
64
#6 Singles Match
123
Mariana Torres / 0 [UBW]
6310
267
Order of Finish:
2,3,1,5,6,4
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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