Box Score

LAS CRUCES, N.M.—The No. 61 University of Hawai'i women's tennis team (12-6, 3-1 WAC) edged out Nevada, 4-3 in the quarterfinal round at the Western Athletic Conference Championships hosted by New Mexico State. The match was suspended on Thursday with the score tied at 3-3 due to a wind storm that blew threw Las Cruces with sustained winds of 26 mph and gusts clocked in the 40 mph range. The last singles match of the day between UH's Martina Kostalova and Juliette Legendre was stopped with the score tied at 5-5 in the third set and 15-15 in the game and a spot in the semifinals on the line.
 
The match continued on Friday morning, but it was Nevada's Legendre, who started strong going up 6-5 after the match resumed. But Kostalova battled back to even the score at 6-6 to force the second tiebreaker of the match. Kostalova then came through in the clutch for a 7-4 win in the tiebreaker to propel the 'Bows into the semifinals with a final score of 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).
 
On Thursday, the Wolf Pack opened the match by capturing the doubles point, 2-1. UH's No. 3 pair of Kostalova and Aglae Van den Bergh defeated Gabriella Eufrasio/Rymma Maslova, 8-2. But Nevada tied the score at 1-1 with Sophie Stevens and Juliette Legendre holding off Katarina Poljakova and Xenia Suworowa, 8-6 in the No. 2 match. In the tightest doubles match, Nevada's No. 1 duo of Michelle Okhremchuk and Emma Verberne narrowly defeated UH's top team of Barbara Pinterova and Jamie Pawid, 9-8 with an 8-6 win in the tiebreaker.
 
In singles action, the 'Bows bounced back by winning their first three singles matches to jump out to a quick 3-1 lead. Suworowa started the surge finishing first with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Maslova. Van den Bergh then defeated Faith Bassiouny, 6-3, 6-2 and Pawid knocked of Stevens in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. But the Wolf Pack battled back, taking the next two matches with Verberne sweeping Poljakova, 6-2, 6-3 and Okhremchuk defeating Pinterova in three sets in the No. 1 slot, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to level the match at 3-3. Hawai'i's last hope was  Kostalova who faced off with Legendre. Kostalova dropped the first set in a tie breaker 6-7 (3-7), but rebounded to win the second set 6-2. In the third set, Kostalova burst out to a 5-1 lead before Legendre chipped her way back to knot the set at 5-5 when the match was suspended due the wind storm. 

Hawai'i will now face the No. 3 seed Idaho on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. It is the fifth time overall and third time in the last four years that the Rainbow Wahine have advanced to the semifinal round of the WAC Tournament. In the other semifinal, No. 1 Fresno State will face No. 4 New Mexico State.