SAN DIEGO, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i women's tennis team is going dancing. The top-seeded Rainbow Wahine defeated second-seeded Cal Poly, 4-2 to capture the 2023 Big West Championship. It is the first time that Hawai'i won both the BW regular season and tournament titles in the same season. With the win, Hawai'i receives the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship tournament.
 
Cal Poly edged out Hawai'i to win the doubles point and take an early 1-0 lead. UH's No. 3 duo of Madison Kim and Satsuki Takamura took the first match by a break, downing CP's Melissa LaMette and Alexandra Ozerets, 6-4. But the Mustangs then won the point on a pair of tie-breaker wins on the No. 1 and No. 2 courts. Cal Poly's Peyton Dunkle and Delanie Dunkle held off UH's No. 1 Klara Novakova and Rita Pinto, 7-6 (5). The Mustangs earned the point with a 7-6 (3) win over UH's Nikola Homolkova and Ana Vilcek.
 
In singles, the Rainbow Wahine battled back, quickly taking a 3-1 lead. UH's No. 4 Novakova cruised past Delanie Dunkle, 6-2, 6-2 and No. 3 Takamura knocked off Peyton Dunkle by the identical score of 6-2, 6-2. On court 6, Kim swept CP's Ozerets, 6-3 6-2,  The Mustangs' Kennedy Buntrock then recorded its only singles win, defeating Pinto in three, 1-6, 6-0, 6-0. But UH's No. 1 Vilcek then clinched the match with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 win over Kim Bhunu to propel Hawai'i to the tourney crown.
 
For Hawai'i, this is their third conference tournament title and NCAA team appearance. The 'Bows won the WAC in 2012 and the Big West in 2018.

The Rainbow Wahine will learn its draw for the NCAA tournament on Monday, May 2 at 12:00 p.m. HT on NCAA.com's selection show. 

Hawaii 4, Cal Poly 2
Apr 29, 2023 at San Diego, Calif.
(Barnes Tennis Center)

Singles competition
1. Vilcek, Ana (UH) def. Bhunu, Kim (CP) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
2. Homolkova, Nikola (UH) vs. LaMette, Melissa (CP) 6-2, 5-7, unfinished
3. Takamura, Satsuki (UH) def. Dunkle, Peyton (CP) 6-2, 6-2
4. Novakova, Klara (UH) def. Dunkle, Delanie (CP) 6-2, 6-2
5. Buntrock, Kennedy (CP) def. Pinto, Rita (UH) 1-6, 6-0, 6-0
6. Kim, Madison (UH) def. Ozerets, Alexandra (CP) 6-3, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. Dunkle, Peyton/Dunkle, Delanie (CP) def. Novakova, Klara/Pinto, Rita (UH) 7-6 (7-5)
2. Bhunu, Kim/Buntrock, Kennedy (CP) def. Homolkova, Nikola/Vilcek, Ana (UH) 7-6 (7-3)
3. Kim, Madison/Takamura, Satsuki (UH) def. LaMette, Melissa/Ozerets, Alexandra (CP) 6-4

Match Notes:
Cal Poly 14-9
Hawaii 14-7
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,3,6,5,1)
T-2:56 A-65