LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV women's tennis team saw rival San Diego State come back to avenge last week's regular-season Rebel victory with a hard-fought 4-2 final in Saturday's championship match of the Mountain West Tournament at the Darling Tennis Center.     
 
The fourth-seeded Rebels, who were playing in their seventh consecutive final, ended the season at 16-8 overall while the second-seeded and 62nd-ranked Aztecs (16-6) earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It marked the fifth time these two programs met in a MW Final, with UNLV still holding a 3-2 advantage.
 
Saturday's match also marked the end of UNLV head coach Kevin Cory's storied career at the school after a quarter century. The winningest tennis coach in school and conference history retires with a final record of 404-187 overall, 132-38 in MW play and a stunning 44-16 in the annual conference tournament. His resume includes a record seven tournament championships and five more regular-season crowns since coming to Las Vegas in 1999.
 
Early on, it looked like Cory would add one more title as the Rebels rolled to a 1-0 lead by taking the doubles point with victories on the bottom two courts. Cindy Hu and Coco Zhao downed their opponents, 6-2, at the No. 2 position to improve to 21-6 on the year to clinch it after Salsa Aher and Aura Fang won by the same score on court three.
 
In singles play, UNLV won the first set on half the courts and nearly on a fourth before SDSU rallied. Eventually, Hu came through with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Myah Petchey at the third position to make the score 2-2. However, the Aztecs came back in a pair of three-setters. The match would end when Aztec Zoe Olmos fought off multiple match points to win five straight games and overtake Aura Fang, 0-6, 6-3, 7-5, on court six.
 
REBEL OF THE MATCH: Hu had a hand in both UNLV points, teaming with Zhao for a doubles victory and then getting a straight-set singles triumph.
 
QUOTABLE: "Today was a battle and unfortunately we came up just short this time. I'm extremely proud of the team and it has truly been an honor to be their coach. Go Rebels!"
-UNLV Head Coach Kevin Cory

UP NEXT: UNLV will look to name a new head coach and begin planning for the 2024-25 season.

Women's Tennis Match Results
Mountain West Tournament Championship
(2) #62 SAN DIEGO STATE 4, (4) UNLV 2
April 27, 2024, at Las Vegas, NV
(Darling Tennis Center)

Singles competition
1. #97 Yasmine Kabbaj (SDSU) def. Zita Kovacs (UNLV) 6-0, 6-0
2. #98 Andjela Skrobonja (SDSU) def. Salsa Aher (UNLV) 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4
3. Cindy Hu (UNLV) def. Myah Petchey (SDSU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Gloria Alogo (SDSU) def. Coco Zhao (UNLV) 6-0, 6-3
5. Nikol Mircheva (UNLV) vs. Andreea Velcea (SDSU) 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 1-5, unfinished
6. Zoe Olmos (SDSU) def. Aura Fang (UNLV) 0-6, 6-3, 7-5
 
Doubles competition 
1. Zita Kovacs/Hanna Vinahradava (UNLV) vs. Yasmine Kabbaj/Myah Petchey (SDSU) 3-4, unfinished
2. Cindy Hu/Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Andjela Skrobonja/Andreea Velcea (SDSU) 6-2
3. Salsa Aher/Aura Fang (UNLV) def. Zoe Olmos/Gloria Alogo (SDSU) 6-2
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,4,3,2,6)