LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Facing UNR for the final time under retiring head coach Kevin Cory, the UNLV women’s tennis team fought its way to a 4-2 victory in quarterfinal action of the Mountain West Championship Thursday morning at the Darling Tennis Center.
The meeting was part of the Silver State Series presented by America First Credit Union and the Rebels, who also downed the Wolf Pack during the regular season, earned a full three points for the Scarlet & Gray, which now leads the year-long competition 22.5-10.5.
The Rebels, who have won 10 straight over their in-state rival, improved to 15-7 overall while the Wolf Pack ended its season at 11-9.
Cory, who is completing his 25th and final season leading the program, finished 16-3 all-time vs. UNR and reached the 15-win mark for the 18th time in his record-setting career. In addition, since the event’s inception in 2000, Cory has led his program to at least the semifinals of the MW tourney every season except for three. Before Thursday’s match, he was honored by the Mountain West with a plaque recognizing his career accomplishments.
UNLV opened the unusually cool morning by taking the doubles point with victories on the bottom two courts. Cindy Hu and Coco Zhao doubled up their opponent, 6-3, at the No. 2 position to improve to 19-6 on the year before Salsa Aher and Aura Fang won by the same score on court three to clinch the point.
In singles play, Aher notched her team-leading 18th win with a lightning-fast effort over Marlene Foerster, 6-1, 6-0, at the No. 2 spot. Zhao then made it 3-0 Rebs with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Anastasia Luneva at No. 4 before UNR rallied to earn points on courts one and six. With Hu in the middle of a tense third set at No. 3, Nikol Mircheva stepped up big with a match-clinching, 6-4, 6-3 win over Wiem Boubaker on court five.
REBEL OF THE MATCH: Aher was all business as the senior helped clinch the doubles point and then doubled her team’s lead with the singles sweep.
QUOTABLE: “Today was a solid win against a good UNR team. Tomorrow is another big opportunity for us and we are looking forward to it.”
-UNLV Head Coach Kevin Cory
UP NEXT: UNLV advances to Friday’s semifinals (weather permitting) against San Jose State, which upset the event’s top seed, New Mexico, 4-2 on Thursday. First serve is set for 11 a.m. at the Darling Tennis Center. For complete coverage of the 2024 Mountain West Women’s Tennis Championship, visit Championship Central TheMW.com.
Women‘s Tennis Match Results
SILVER STATE SERIES PRESENTED BY AMERICA FIRST CREDIT UNION
Mountain West Tournament – Quarterfinal
UNLV 4, UNR 2
April 25, 2024, at Las Vegas, NV
(Darling Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Charrier, Amahee (UNR) def. Zita Kovacs (UNLV) 6-3, 6-1
2. Salsa Aher (UNLV) def. Foerster, Marlene (UNR) 6-1, 6-0
3. Cindy Hu (UNLV) vs. Guerbert, Lou-Anne (UNR) 6-1, 5-7, 1-2, unfinished
4. Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Luneva, Anastasia (UNR) 6-1, 6-1
5. Nikol Mircheva (UNLV) def. Boubaker, Wiem (UNR) 6-4, 6-3
6. Robinson, Kennedy (UNR) def. Aura Fang (UNLV) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Charrier, Amahee/Luneva, Anastasia (NEV) def. Hanna Vinahradava/Zita Kovacs (UNLV) 6-2
2. Cindy Hu/Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Foerster, Marlene/Cakarevic, Lea (NEV) 6-3
3. Salsa Aher/Aura Fang (UNLV) def. Robinson, Kennedy/Miranda, Mia (NEV) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (2,4,1,6,5)
