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Grace Chadick
3
Indianapolis UINDY (5-1)
4
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO (6-0)
Indianapolis UINDY
(5-1)
3
Final
4
Central Oklahoma UCO
(6-0)
Winner

Match Recap: Women's Tennis | | Chris Brannick

Chadick Leads 'Chos To Championship Match

No. 3 Central Oklahoma Will Play No. 1 Barry In 2022 ITA Indoor National Title Match

EDMOND – No. 3 Central Oklahoma and No. 2 Indianapolis met Sunday in the ITA Indoor National Championship semifinals. The last meeting between the two schools came a year ago in the same national tournament in the same semifinals. But the result would be different in 2022.
 
Grace Chadick won a thrilling three-set slugfest at No. 4 singles (6-4, 2-6, 6-4) to send Central Oklahoma to the championship match.
 
"I'm really at a loss for words," UCO head tennis coach Joe Vann said. "That was special. I don't know if people realize how hard this team just fought for that. That was just special."
 
The dual had all the makings of a heavyweight championship fight – and that was before the first serve.
 
UIndy topped Central last season in the ITA Indoor semis. It was just one of two losses for the Bronchos all season. No. 3 UCO only lost to No. 1 Barry and No. 2 UIndy all of last season.
 
Former Broncho All-American and ITA national champion, Isabella  Dunlap made her return to her hometown of Edmond this weekend dressed in UIndy maroon.
 
The No. 1 doubles match included one of the biggest comebacks in school history and one of the more improbable comebacks in the sport.
 
The momentum swung as far in both directions as possible.
 
A heavyweight fight.
 
But it was Central Oklahoma that got the best of UIndy in the end thanks to a truly special display of perseverance by true freshman Grace Chadick.
 
Chadick, who is ranked No. 21 in the country in the ITA Singles Top 50, picked up a 6-4 first set win and didn't have as much resistance in doing so. She lost 6-2 though in the second set and as the match shifted into the decisive third, all other matches had ended with the overall match score knotted, 3-3.
 
Chadick went down early, 1-0, but battled back 2-1. UIndy's Arina Amaning got it back even, 2-2, but Chadick had a blitzing response to go up 3-2. Then it was 3-3, then 4-3, then 4-4.
 
The match overall was as close as it could get and the three-set thriller on Court 4 was too.
 
Chadick went back in front 5-4 with another easier point, then the slugfest reached its pinnacle.
 
With Amaning serving, Chadick was down 15-0 and again 30-15. She tied it up, 30-30, then took a 40-30 lead on a double fault. Then came the the final point and a UCO celebration.
 
Earlier in the dual, UIndy looked to jump out to an early lead with the doubles point. The Greyhounds took No. 3 doubles to put themselves in position to do so, but UCO responded with a win at No. 2 doubles to even it up.
 
The winner of No. 1 doubles would get the crucial early team point.
 
Mae Canete and Christine Canete, ranked No. 1 in the country in the ITA Doubles Top 25, trailed 5-0 and it appeared UIndy might run away with an early upset and take the early lead.
 
Not so fast.
 
The Canete sisters began to battle back one point at a time.
 
5-1. 5-2. 5-3. 5-4. 5-5.
 
UIndy did finally get another point to go up 6-5, but the Canetes tied it right back, 6-6.
 
In the winner-take-all tiebreaker, the Canetes were down big again, trailing 6-1.
 
6-2. 6-3. 6-4. 6-5. 6-6.
 
Eventually Mae and Christine found their way into an 8-7 lead in the tiebreaker and a win in the match.
 
UCO took a 1-0 lead.
 
Following a brief pause, Mae jumped right back onto Court 1 and crushed her opponent 6-1, 6-0 to make it 2-0, UCO.
 
UIndy got on the board with a win at No. 5 singles, but Adel-Byanu Abidullina won 6-4, 6-2 at No. 3 singles and the Bronchos were back in front 3-1.
 
UIndy got another point when Christine was forced into an early retirement (cramping) at No. 2 singles and then things got interesting when UIndy won at No. 6 singles to tie the match, 3-3.
 
But Chadick had the Bronchos from there.
 
Central Oklahoma lost to UIndy last season in the ITA Indoor National Championship semifinals. The only other loss on the year was to Barry in the NCAA National Championship semifinals.
 
UCO will play Barry Monday at 11 a.m. at Edmond Center Court in a rematch for the 2022 Indoor national title.
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