May 2, 2010

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -

Texas-Pan American, which entered the 2010 Great West Conference Tennis Championship as the No. 4 seed, captured the league's inaugural tennis title today with a 4-2 win over host and No. 3 seed North Dakota at Center Court Fitness Club in Grand Forks, N.D.

The Lady Broncs got off to a fast start by capturing the doubles point with wins by the No. 1 pair of Luisa Cantu and Megan Bedeau and the No. 3 pair of Sarah Burton and Andrea Salvetova. Cantu and Bedeau teamed for an 8-3 win over UND's Erin Kappers and Hallie Welk, while Burton and Salvetova recorded an 8-2 win over UND's Megan Sween and Mindy Lawrence.

Trailing 1-0 entering singles play, UND earned its first point on the strength of a Kappers victory at No. 2 singles. Kappers defeated Cantu in straight sets 6-4 and 6-0 to tie the match at 1-1.

UTPA's Bedeau answered with a straight-set win over Welk in No. 3 singles, winning 7-5 and 6-2.

The two teams then traded points at No. 4 and No. 5 singles. Burton recorded a straight-set win over Sween in No. 5 singles, winning 6-1 and 6-1, while Emma Larson defeated Reetta Raty in straight sets in No. 4 singles with 6-2 and 6-4 wins.

UTPA scored the decisive point in No. 6 singles as where Salvetova blanked Lawrence 6-0 and 6-0. The No. 1 singles match was abandoned, with UND's Katie Callison (Sr., Mesa, Ariz.) and UTPA's Nina Ciric each having won one set.

Ciric was named the GWC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, while UND head coach Tom Wynne was named GWC Coach of the Year.

Singles competition

1. Katie Callison (UND) vs. Nina Ciric (UTPA) 6-1, 3-6, 0-5 (unfinished)

2. Erin Kappers (UND) def. Luisa Cantu (UTPA) 6-4, 6-0

3. Megan Bedeau (UTPA) def. Hallie Welk (UND) 7-5, 6-2

4. Emma Larson (UND) def. Reetta Raty (UTPA) 6-2, 6-4

5. Sarah Burton (UTPA) def. Megan Sween (UND) 6-1, 6-1

6. Andrea Salvetova (UTPA) def. Mindy Lawrence (UND) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles competition

1. Luisa Cantu/Megan Bedeau (UTPA) def. Erin Kappers/Hallie Welk (UND) 8-3

2. Nina Ciric/Reetta Raty (UTPA) vs. Katie Callison/Emma Larson (UND) 6-5 unfinished

3. Sarah Burton/Andrea Salvetova (UTPA) def. Megan Sween/Mindy Lawrence (UND) 8-2

GWC Player of the Year: Nina Ciric, Texas-Pan American

GWC Newcomer of the Year: Nina Ciric, Texas-Pan American

GWC Coach of the Year: Tom Wynne, North Dakota

All-GWC First Team: Nina Ciric (UTPA), Katie Callison (UND), Nina Mayevska (NJIT), Golda Rubina (CSU), Erin Kappers (UND), Luisa Cantu (UTPA)

All-GWC Second Team: Megan Bedeau (UTPA), Emma Larson (UND), Isha Toor (NJIT), Juan Rosalina Tejoprayitno (CSU), Marin Kiefer (USD), Sarah Burton (UTPA)