ARLINGTON, Texas (March 12, 2025) – No. 7 Lubbock Christian University women's tennis overcame a turbulent week of weather delays and scheduling changes to secure a 4-2 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State in a neutral-site matchup Sunday at UTA Tennis Center. Originally scheduled to be played in Plano, Texas, the match was moved to Arlington due to persistent rain in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and was further delayed before getting underway.
The doubles competition was tightly contested, with LCU dropping the opening point after losing two of the three matches. The duo of
Anastasiia Opolska and
AnaMaria Zoric gave the Lady Chaps an early advantage at No. 2 doubles, securing a 6-3 victory over Sara Gonzalez and Larissa Goncalves-Correa. However, Southeastern Oklahoma State responded with back-to-back wins, as Emilse Ruiz and Amishi Shukla edged out
Oshini Herath and
Mariia Koroleva 6-4 at No. 3, and the No. 25-ranked pairing of Carol Mora and Jou Chen Chen clinched the doubles point with a 7-5 victory at No. 1 over
Andrea De Bernardo and
Axelle Jacquemin (No. 22).
LCU rebounded quickly in singles play, with Opolska leveling the match after earning a win by opponent retirement at No. 1 singles while leading Mora 6-2, 1-0. Southeastern Oklahoma State briefly regained the lead as Ruiz secured a 6-2, 7-5 win over Jacquemin at No. 3 singles, but LCU responded with three consecutive victories to clinch the match.
Maya Adler delivered a commanding 6-4, 6-0 victory over Shukla at No. 5 singles, evening the score at 2-2. De Bernardo, ranked No. 60 in the nation, pulled out a gritty 6-1, 7-6 (8) win over Milana Voloshyn at No. 2 to give the Lady Chaps their first lead of the match. The deciding point came at No. 4 singles, where Koroleva bounced back from a second-set loss to defeat Goncalves-Correa 6-1, 0-6, 6-3, sealing LCU's ninth win of the season. The remaining match at No. 6 singles between Herath and Chen was left unfinished, with Chen leading 7-6, 7-5 when the match was decided.
LCU navigated a challenging week of schedule disruptions due to inclement weather, as their March 11 match against Southern Arkansas was interrupted mid-match by rain and will be replayed at a later date. Additionally, their scheduled matchup against McKendree that same day was canceled due to weather conditions.
With the victory, LCU improved to 9-2 on the season and extended their winning streak to four matches. De Bernardo (fourth consecutive singles win) and Koroleva (13-4 in singles this season leads LCU in singles wins) were instrumental in the victory, delivering crucial singles wins, while Opolska contributed in both singles and doubles play.
The Lady Chaps will look to maintain their momentum as they continue their road slate. They head to Orlando, Fla. Mar. 20 to face Nova Southeastern in the first of two matches scheduled in the Sunshine State.
