NEW ORLEANS – The postseason run for the Alcorn State University women's tennis program came to an end in the finals of the SWAC Championships as Alabama State finished on top 4-0 Sunday at the Pepsi Tennis Center.
After the match, junior
Anastasia Vaganova and freshman
Stefany Grlj were named to the SWAC All-Tournament Team.
"Everybody gave their best today and this is something we can build off of in the future," said Alcorn head coach
Barbara Oliveira. "I want to thank all my seniors for everything they did for us this year. Bianca, Klavdija and Ammaarah all brought great leadership and talent to the team and they will all be missed."
The top-seeded Hornets grabbed the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. Vaganova and senior
Bianca Birkenstock were tied 4-4 at the No. 2 position for the fifth-seeded Lady Braves.
"I felt if we could have gotten the doubles point it would have changed the whole match. Though overall, I'm happy with the way we competed," Oliveira said.
In singles, Vaganova was up a set at the No. 2 spot. She finished the year with a 12-8 record, including a 6-0 mark in conference to earned All-Conference First-Team honors for the second time in her career.
At No. 6 singles, junior
Veronika Pytlikova dropped the first set but led 4-3 in the second.
"I want to give a special shout out to senior Nuno Rocha from our men's team. He's a special player and always wore the Alcorn "A" proudly throughout his career. Our men supported our women today and I hope both of our teams can take the next step forward and bring the same intensity to training for next year," Oliveira said. "I truly enjoyed coaching Alcorn this year and I'm looking forward to the future and bringing the trophy home."
It was the second consecutive year that the Lady Braves reached the finals. They defeated third-seeded Alabama A&M in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Prairie View A&M in the semifinals earlier in the tournament.
No. 1 Alabama State 4, No. 5 Alcorn 0
Doubles Competition
1. Reka Szentes (ALSTW) def.
Stefany Grlj (ALCW) 6-2, 6-1
2. Maria Popova (ALSTW) vs.
Anastasia Vaganova (ALCW) unfinished
3. Lea Krajcovicova (ALSTW) vs.
Bianca Birkenstock (ALCW) unfinished
4. Gabriela Lackova (ALSTW) def.
Ammaarah Tim (ALCW) 6-2, 6-0
5. Urska Velec (ALSTW) def.
Klavdija Bukovec (ALCW) 6-0, 6-4
6. Chloe Kabamba (ALSTW) vs.
Veronika Pytlikova (ALCW) unfinished
Singles Competition
1. Maria Popova/Chloe Kabamba (ALSTW) def.
Stefany Grlj/
Ammaarah Tim (ALCW) 6-3
2. Reka Szentes/Urska Velec (ALSTW) vs.
Anastasia Vaganova/
Bianca Birkenstock (ALCW) unfinished
3. Gabriela Lackova/Lea Krajcovicova (ALSTW) def.
Klavdija Bukovec/
Veronika Pytlikova (ALCW) 6-2
#FearTheBrave
