Skip To Main Content

University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Christine Canete
2
Indianapolis UINDY (21-3)
4
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO (24-1)
Indianapolis UINDY
(21-3)
2
Final
4
Central Oklahoma UCO
(24-1)
Winner

Match Recap: Women's Tennis | | Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma To Play For National Title

Bronchos Beat UIndy Friday In National Semifinals

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – Central Oklahoma is headed to the 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis National Championship following a 4-2 win over Indianapolis in Friday's semifinal.
 
Central Oklahoma improved to 24-1 with the win and the Bronchos, the No. 2 seed in the national tournament, will now face No. 1 Barry Saturday at 4 p.m. (Eastern).
 
"We've talked a lot about accomplishing our goals this season and we've accomplished almost all of them," first-year head tennis coach Joe Vann said. "There's one more goal for us and that's tomorrow. I'm proud of the team for how they played today to get it done and now we'll get ready for the national championship."
 
Central Oklahoma picked up wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to gain the early lead Friday morning in the semifinals.
 
Adel-Byanu Abidullina and Tizia Brocks, the 31st-ranked doubles team in the country, won 6-3 at the No. 2 position. UIndy did win 6-3 at No. 3 doubles, but only moments before Mae Canete and Christine Canete won 6-1 at No. 1 doubles. The Canete sisters are the No. 1 ranked doubles team in the country and clinched the point for the Bronchos.
 
Abidullina was the first to finish in Singles play. The senior won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 singles to push the Broncho lead to 2-0.
 
UIndy got one of its two points at No. 6 singles with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Blythe Buntrock to make it 2-1.
 
Then Mae Canete picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles to put the Bronchos on the cusp. Mae Canete is the No. 3 ranked Singles player in the country and her opponent, Anna Novikova, is the No. 31-rated player in the country.
 
UIndy got one more point in the match, winning 6-2, 6-3 over Brocks at the No. 5 position. That made it 3-2.
 
But then came the clincher.
 
Christine Canete, the eight-ranked Singles player in the country and the MIAA Freshman of the Year, is 16-1 this season. Her only loss came in a match against UIndy in the ITA Indoor National Championship semifinals in Edmond in February. But that loss did come via medical forfeit, as the freshman couldn't continue.
 
She faced the same opponent again Friday – former Broncho Isabella Dunlap, who transferred to UIndy last summer and is the No. 17-ranked Singles player in the country.
 
The two slugged it out in the first set before Christine Canete came away with a 7-6 (7-5) win. The second set wasn't as close.
 
Christine Canete won 6-2 to take the straight-set victory and give Central Oklahoma the deciding fourth point in the match, and put the Bronchos into the national championship.
 
Central Oklahoma will take on Barry Saturday at 3 p.m. Oklahoma time. The Bronchos have met Barry twice in recent history. The Buccaneers of Miami, Florida bounced UCO in the national semifinals last season, and then again in the ITA Indoor National Championship match this February in Edmond.
 
UCO is 45-3 overall in the last two seasons with two of those losses to Barry. BU has won the last four national championships (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021) and brings a 61-match win streak into Saturday's championship, dating back to 2019.
 
 
Print Friendly Version
Skip Ad
Skip Sponsors