Women's Tennis 4/13/2018 8:06:00 AM Chris Brannick

No. 8 UCO Hosts Angelo State in Season Finale

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma tennis team is set to conclude its 2018 regular season when the eighth-ranked Bronchos host Angelo State Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Oak Tree Tennis Center.

It's a non-conference match for the Bronchos, who will head to Lincoln, Neb. Sunday to begin the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association postseason tournament. Central is the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and will play Lindenwood on Monday at 8 a.m.

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UCO's conference slate ended a week ago, so head tennis coach Jaron Maestas put together a pair of non-cons to keep the Bronchos fresh heading into the postseason. Wednesday's match against Arkansas-Fort Smith was cancelled though.

Angelo State, which is playing at Southern Nazarene on Friday, comes to Edmond with a 14-7 record. The Belles of San Angelo, Texas are 3-3 in their Lone Star Conference. ASU is also listed 50th in the country in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings. ASU is led by Zoe Gubbels, who is 16-4 this season. Maria Delgadillo is 15-5 and Ena Ovcina is 13-7.

Central Oklahoma dipped one spot to No. 8 in the country in the latest ITA rankings. Laetitia Charbonnet came in at No. 24 and Alli Hodges No. 27 in the national singles rankings. Charbonnet and teammate Kirtana Bhat are No. 27 in the doubles rankings.

UCO has won four straight since suffering just its second setback of the season late last month. The Bronchos only have two losses this season, one is to a Division I opponent and both were by one point.

Hodges, a junior, leads the Bronchos into Saturday's finale. She is 21-8 this season and went 12-5 in duals this spring, all at No. 1. Hodges has 111 career victories and has been nationally ranked for all of the past two seasons.

Charbonnet, a freshman and No. 2 in the Broncho lineup, has had an outstanding start to her career. She is 22-5 overall, 15-2 in duals, and reached as high as No. 16 in the country before her only conference loss last weekend dropped her down to No. 24.

The MIAA Freshman of the Year award, won by Hodges two seasons ago, could very easily go to Charbonnet, but the Bronchos have another worthy candidate in Paola Landin.

Landin is 18-6 overall this season and 14-2 in duals. But she adds a perfect 8-0 mark in league matches this season. Landin has played 13 of 16 matches at the No. 4 spot in the Central lineup.

Bhat holds the majority of time at No. 3. The junior from Tucson, Ariz. Is 14-7 this season, 13-3 in duals, and had a very strong conference record this season at 7-1.

Alix Williams (19-8) and Sarah Van Eeckhoudt (18-7) also give the Bronchos points at the back of the lineup.

Bhat and Charbonnet are 15-10 in doubles play this season, and 9-8 at No. 1 in duals. Hodges and Landin team up at No. 2 and are 17-6 overall, 14-3 in duals, and were 8-1 in league matches. Williams and Van Eeckhoudt are a team-best 20-3 overall. They went 14-2 in duals and a perfect 8-0 in MIAA competition.

Central makes a quick turnaround for the postseason beginning Monday in Lincoln. The Bronchos will then take on the NCAA Division II national tournament with the Central Regional later this month. UCO is aiming to host a regional this season. The Bronchos are ranked second in the latest regional rankings. The top-two teams in the region host the first and second rounds of the national tournament.

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Players Mentioned

Kirtana Bhat: 5' 7"; Junior

Alli Hodges: 5' 8"; Junior

Alix Williams: 5' 8"; Junior

Sarah Van Eeckhoudt: 6' 0"; Sophomore

Laetitia Charbonnet: 5' 10"; Freshman

Paola Landin: 5' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Kirtana Bhat
: 5' 7"; Junior

Alli Hodges
: 5' 8"; Junior

Alix Williams
: 5' 8"; Junior

Sarah Van Eeckhoudt
: 6' 0"; Sophomore

Laetitia Charbonnet
: 5' 10"; Freshman

Paola Landin
: 5' 0"; Freshman