BROWNSVILLE, Texas – With the match tied up at 3-3, all eyes turned to junior
Neus Torregrosa on court No. 4. The first-year transfer had to rally back down a set to force a third and clinched a spot for the New Mexico State women's tennis team in the Western Athletic Conference Championship match with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Riddhi Sharma early Saturday afternoon at the Brownsville Tennis Center.
Doubles action saw Kansas City (11-12) take an early lead when the ever consistent No. 3 doubles team of
Chloe Gavino and
Rebecca Keijzerwaard were bested 6-4. However, a 6-3 victory from seniors
Lindsay Harlas and
Yadira Rubio on court No. 2 paved the way for
Harsha Challa and
Gavi Kalaga's tightly contested 7-5 win at the top position and gave the Aggies a 1-0 lead.
In singles action, the Roos tied things up at 1-1 after Rubio was bested at the No. 5 position 6-2, 6-4. Challa put the lead back in favor of NM State (14-9) with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on court No. 3 before UMKC knotted the match up again, 2-2, when Kalaga was taken down on court No. 6.
Keijzerwaard answered for New Mexico State and the 3-2 edge when she bounced back from dropping her first set to claim the 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win at the top singles slot. But, the Roos would not back down and equalized the match, 3-3, after Harlas was defeated by Katie Fries 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 on court No. 2 – setting up the thrilling finish from Torregrosa.
With the win, New Mexico State will now face the top-seeded Lopes from Grand Canyon on Sunday, April 28, at 8 a.m. (MT) for an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament – its first appearance since 2015.
++NM State ++
