Aggie Invitational | Final Draws/Results

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Freshman Mingfang Zhu made a great first impression in her first weekend of collegiate competition.
 
The NM State women's tennis newcomer secured a pair of championships – one in singles action and another in doubles play – to lead the Aggies on the final day of the Aggie Invitational Sunday at the NM State Tennis Complex.
 
DOUBLES
• Unable to provide an all-Aggie doubles championship match, the only pair of NM State competitors who made it to the title bout made sure that a title would go to the host institution.
• Chloe Gavino and Mingfang Zhu completed a perfect 4-0 run through the doubles bracket by starting the day with a dominant 6-1 win over Abilene Christian's duo of Maryjoe Crisologo and Ileana Mocciola. Once in the title tilt, Gavino and Zhu faced their toughest opponents of the weekend.
• Pitted against UTEP's Thassane Abrahim and Veronika Lebisova, Gavino and Zhu were challenged for every point. Fortunately, NM State's duo answered the challenge and earned a 7-6 (4) triumph over the Miners' pairing to claim the Aggie Invitational doubles title.
• Harsha Challa and Georgia Townsend were denied a spot in the doubles title match, falling 6-0 to Abrahim and Lebisova in the semifinals.
• Miranda Bishard and Gavi Kalaga made a great run in the back draw, picking up a pair of victories Sunday morning to finish with a 4-1 record at the Aggie Invitational. That duo scored wins over Abilene Christian's Paula Garrote and Danielle Viljoen (6-1) as well as UTEP's Eve Daniels and Kathleen Percegona (6-4) to wrap up their run in the invite.
• Melissa Nguyen and Bella Cartis wrapped up their time at the three-day event with a 2-2 record. That NM State duo fell to UTEP's Elena DiBattista and Lina Sachica by a 7-5 score in another back draw battle.
 
SINGLES
• Zhu's second championship of the day came in the White Draw of singles action. Going up against New Mexico's Myu Kageyama, Zhu conjured up a 6-4, 6-2 victory in the championship match to wrap up a flawless 3-0 run through the White Draw.
• Kalaga posted a third-place finish in the White Draw after collecting a 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4) comeback victory over Abilene Christian's Andrea Guerrero Sunday morning.
• Though she faltered early on in the invite, Cartis recovered nicely in the back draw, wrapping up a three-match singles winning streak with a Sunday morning victory against Western New Mexico's Nicold Gonzalez (6-1, 6-3) Sunday afternoon. Cartis wrapped up the event with a 3-1 record.
• Nguyen, like Cartis, experienced success in the back draw. She wrapped up a 2-1 weekend in the Grey Draw by posting a 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6) triumph over Garrote Sunday morning.
• Challa and Gavino decided not to duke it out with one another in the third-place match of the Crimson Draw.
 
COMING UP NEXT
• The Aggies will have a break of nearly one full month before their next fall competition. Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 13, NM State will be in Las Vegas, Nev., to take part in the ITA Mountain Regionals. The event, hosted by UNLV, will span five days, ending on Sunday, Oct. 17. 

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