LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – It was one heckuva way to close out a home career.
In front of the biggest crowd in years, retiring UNLV women's tennis head coach
Kevin Cory picked up one final ranked win at a sun-baked Fertitta Tennis Complex Friday as the Rebels upset No. 60 San Diego State on Senior Day for their seventh victory over the Aztecs in the last nine meetings.
UNLV improved to 14-7 overall and finished 7-3 in Mountain West play while SDSU fell to 13-6 and 7-2. The hosts also improved to 25-16 in the all-time series in the geographic rivalry.
Before the match, the program honored its three departing seniors –
Zita Kovacs,
Salsa Aher and
Aura Fang – along with Cory, who would later finalize his 25-year record in MW play at an eye-popping 132-38.
Following the pre-match pleasantries, UNLV put itself in position to pull the upset by capturing the doubles point. Kovacs and
Hanna Vinahradava won 6-3 at the top of the lineup and then Aher and Fang clinched it with a 6-4 victory at the third spot.
The Rebels actually started singles play with a 2-0 lead because of a forfeit by the Aztecs in the sixth position. However, both of SDSU's ranked players won their matches up top to get on the board.
Cindy Hu earned UNLV its third point with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Myah Petchey at No. 3 before SDSU tied it with a three-set win at No. 4. All eyes moved to court five where Fang finally emerged with a match-clinching, 7-6, 6-3 victory over Zoe Olmos.
REBEL OF THE MATCH: Who else? Fang celebrated her senior day by clinching both the doubles point with her partner and the overall match with a pair of clutch victories.
QUOTABLE: "Today was a great college tennis match and I am really proud of the way the team competed. SDSU is a great team that is very well coached. It was a bittersweet moment for me with today being my last match here. It has been such an honor to serve as head coach at UNLV for a quarter-century. I want to send a big thank you to (Director of Athletics) Erick Harper and the administration for having my back and providing us with everything we need to be successful."
-UNLV Head Coach Kevin Cory
UP NEXT: Defending champion UNLV will await its seeding and opponent for next week's Mountain West Tournament being held at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas starting Wednesday.
Women's Tennis Match Results
UNLV 4, #60 SAN DIEGO STATE 3
April 19, 2024, at Las Vegas, NV
(Fertitta Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. #97 Yasmin Kabbaj (SDSU) def.
Zita Kovacs (UNLV) 6-4, 7-6
2. #87 Andjela Skrobonja (SDSU) def.
Salsa Aher (UNLV) 6-3, 6-4
3.
Cindy Hu (UNLV) def. Myah Petchey (SDSU) 7-6, 6-2
4. Andreea Velcea (SDSU) def.
Nikol Mircheva (UNLV) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
5.
Aura Fang (UNLV) def. Zoe Olmos (SDSU) 7-6, 6-3
6.
Hanna Vinahradava (UNLV) by default
Doubles competition
1.
Zita Kovacs/
Hanna Vinahradava (UNLV) def. Yasmin Kabbaj/Myah Petchey (SDSU) 6-3
2.
Cindy Hu/
Coco Zhao (UNLV) vs. Andreea Velcea/Andjela Skrobonja (SDSU) 4-5, unfinished
3.
Salsa Aher/
Aura Fang (UNLV) def. Gloria Alogo/Zoe Olmos (SDSU) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,2,3,1,4,5)
