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Blythe Buntrock
3
Central Oklahoma UCO (10-10)
4
Winner Northeastern State NSU (11-7)
Central Oklahoma UCO
(10-10)
3
Final
4
Northeastern State NSU
(11-7)
Winner

Match Recap: Women's Tennis | | Chris Brannick

UCO Bounced In MIAA Opener

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma's four year reign of the MIAA Women's Tennis Championship ended Friday with the Bronchos falling 4-3 to Northeastern State in the annual postseason tournament's opening round at Edmond Center Court.
 
The Bronchos fought back from an 0-2 deficit to take a 3-2 lead late in the marathon of a dual that last three and a half hours. But a pair of three-set losses gave the Riverhawks the win and ended UCO's postseason appearance.
 
Central Oklahoma will now wait for word from the NCAA on Monday night to see if the Bronchos receive an at-large bid to the 2023 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championship. The Bronchos were ranked No. 2 in the Central Region, which includes six spots in the national field.
 
"I'm disappointed that we lost today," UCO head women's tennis coach Joe Vann said. "We fought so hard for this one. We knew had a chance and we just couldn't get it done."
 
UCO previously won the MIAA Women's Tennis Championship in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
 
Saturday, the Bronchos fell behind 1-0 after doubles play. UCO opened play with a win at No. 3 doubles from Pete Komada and Nefeli Zafeir, who won 6-1. But NSU responded with wins at the No. 2 and No. 1 positions after that to take an early 1-0 lead in the match.
 
UCO went down 2-0 when NSU won at No. 5 singles, with Tizia Brocks falling 6-3, 6-2. Zafeiri got UCO on the board with a win moments later at No. 3 singles, taking a 6-4, 6-0 victory.
 
The other four singles matches would all go three sets.
 
Nikki Boyar dropped her first set before battling back and winning the next two to tie the match, 2-2. Boyar won 2-6, 6-0, 6-4. Komada then did the same and gave UCO a 3-2 lead in the dual. She 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.
 
Blythe Buntrock won her first set, but dropped the next two as NSU tied the match, 3-3. Buntrock lost 6-3, 4-6, 2-6.
 
The whole dual came down to Karyna Yurchenko at No. 6 singles. She lost 6-4 in the first set, but battled back for a 6-2 win in the second. Unfortunately for the Bronchos, Yurchenko lost 6-3 in the third and NSU won the dual.
 
 
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