LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The third-seeded UNLV women's tennis team will play in its eighth straight Mountain West Championship match after flying past Air Force, 4-1, in Friday's semifinal at the Darling Tennis Center.
The Rebels improved to 18-6 overall while the seventh-seeded Falcons, who upset UNR the previous day to advance, finished their season at 12-14.
Since the event's inception in 2000, UNLV boasts a sparkling 46-16 record in MW tournament play. The Rebels, who last won the league tourney crown in 2023, own seven overall MW tournament titles – the most of any school.
UNLV actually had to rally after dropping an intense doubles session. AFA won in the blink of an eye on the third court, 6-1, to put the pressure on the Rebels. Both remaining matches, however, went to a tiebreaker and the winningest duo in school history did what they do and took their outing to tie things as
Cindy Hu and
Coco Zhao downed Maya Michalski and Alexis Odom at No. 2, 7-6, (5). All eyes moved to the top court where the battle eventually ended with Falcons Arianna Van Houwelin and Nadia Kojonroj emerging 7-6 (6) over
Nikol Mircheva and
Hanna Vinahradava.
Air Force earned the early momentum but UNLV had the proven talent -- and showed it in singles – taking the first set on four courts.
Zhao, per usual, was off the court first, downing Kojonroj, 6-3, 6-2, at the third spot to improve her team-leading singles mark to 24-4, including an eye-popping 10-0 vs. MW foes. Freshman
Veronika Kliuch then improved to 15-6 as a rookie with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Van Houwelin at No 2. The bottom of the lineup came through after a rough start to bolster the Rebels. Oyama took 12 of the final 14 games over Michalski to earn a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 5 to improve to 18-6.
Hanna Vinahradava then closed the proceedings with a come-from-behind, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Shivaani Selvan on court six. Hu, up top, was just a game away from finishing off her opponent while Mircheva was on the verge of splitting sets when action was halted.
UP NEXT: UNLV takes on Boise State (18-5) in Saturday's final starting with doubles play at 11 a.m. The Broncos, seeded fourth, upset top-seeded and 47th-ranked San Diego State today, 4-3, to advance to their first MW final. The Rebels won 4-2 during their regular-season meeting in Las Vegas back on March 21. Boise State head coach Beck Roghaar is a former men's tennis assistant for the Rebels.
For complete coverage of the 2025 Mountain West Women's Tennis Championship, visit
Championship Central.
2025 MW Women's Tennis Championship - Semifinals
UNLV 4, AIR FORCE 1
April 25, 2025, at Las Vegas
(Darling Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Alexis Odom (AF) vs.
Cindy Hu (UNLV) 2-6, 6-4, 0-5, unfinished
2.
Veronika Kliuch (UNLV) def. Arianna Van Houwelin (AF) 6-3, 6-3
3.
Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Nadia Kojonroj (AF) 6-3, 6-2
4. Sofia Mavor (AF) vs.
Nikol Mircheva (UNLV) 7-6 (9-7), 3-4, unfinished
5.
Kaho Oyama (UNLV) def. Maya Michalski (AF) 6-4, 6-1
6.
Hanna Vinahradava (UNLV) def. Shivaani Selvan (AF) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Arianna Van Houwelin/Nadia Kojonroj (AF) def.
Nikol Mircheva/
Hanna Vinahradava (UNLV) 7-6 (8-6)
2.
Cindy Hu/
Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Maya Michalski/Alexis Odom (AF) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Sofia Mavor/Shivaani Selvan (AF) def.
Kaho Oyama/
Sofiia Sokolvak (UNLV) 6-1
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (3,2,5,6)
