ORLANDO, Fla. (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV senior Aiwen Zhu finished one win short of earning All-America status with a 6-4, 7-6 loss in Tuesday's NCAA Singles Championship Second Round at the USTA National Campus.
 
Playing a rematch with an opponent she defeated earlier this month, Zhu, ranked 105th in the nation, saw her illustrious Rebel career ended by Texas Tech's 22nd-ranked Felicity Maltby. Zhu bolted to a 3-1 lead before dropping the first set and rallied to take a 6-5 lead in the second before Maltby forced a tiebreaker that she won 7-2 to avoid a winner-take-all third set.
 
The two-time Mountain West Player of the Year finished 30-8 as a senior and 103-32 overall as a collegian. Her career winning percentage of .763 ranks third in UNLV history. She ends with a 2-2 record at the NCAA Singles Championship as she also fell just short of the Round of 16 at last year's event.  
 
"Another good match today -- both sides played well enough to win but it just didn't go our way," said UNLV head coach Kevin Cory. "Aiwen has been a tremendous leader for us for four years on and off the court. She is not only one of the greatest players the school has ever seen, but also just a great person. She will no doubt succeed in whichever path she takes and we wish her the best of luck as she heads to a professional career."
 
Zhu, who added two victories over top 30 opponents in the month of May, will receive her final national ranking next week.    
 
2019 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S TENNIS SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
USTA National Campus, Orlando, FL
 
Second Round
#22 Felicity Maltby (TTU) def. #105 Aiwen Zhu (UNLV) 6-4, 7-6 (2)