MIDLAND, Texas (March 4, 2025) - Lubbock Christian University opened Lone Star Conference play in dominant fashion Wednesday afternoon, sweeping UT Permian Basin Falcons 7-0 at the Bush Tennis Center to claim its first-ever victory in a conference opener.
The Lady Chaps (5-3, 1-0 LSC) secured the doubles point with wins on all three courts before completing the shutout with six straight singles victories over the Falcons (0-7, 0-1 LSC). It marked the fourth conference shutout in the program's young history and LCU's third straight win in the all-time series against UTPB.
LCU established early control in doubles play, beginning at the No. 3 position where freshmen
Kristel Jativa and
Ana Sofía Valero Treviño cruised to a 6-1 victory over Alyssa Glasgow and Paige Sitanggang to give the Lady Chaps momentum. The tandem of
Andrea De Bernardo and
AnaMaria Zoric (ranked No.17 nationally) then clinched the doubles point at No. 1 with a 7-5 win over Fanny Bergstrom and Sophia Rashid. De Bernardo and Zoric improved to 7-1 as a pair this season and remained unbeaten in dual play at 6-0. The sweep was completed at No. 2 doubles as
Oshini Herath and
Alexandra Luders outlasted Mattea Bowe and Dinethya Dharmaratne in a tight 7-6 victory, giving LCU a 1-0 lead entering singles competition.
LCU quickly expanded its advantage once singles play began. Valero Treviño delivered the first singles point of the afternoon, finishing first off the court at No. 5 with a decisive 6-2, 6-1 win over Glasgow to push the Lady Chaps ahead 2-0. Moments later, Jativa followed at No. 4 singles, defeating Bowe 6-4, 6-2 to make the score 3-0.
The clinching point came from De Bernardo at the top singles position. The junior from Caracas, Venezuela held off Bergstrom 7-5, 6-3 at No. 1 singles to secure the dual victory for LCU and extend the Lady Chaps' lead to 4-0.
With the match already decided, the Lady Chaps continued to roll in the remaining contests. Zoric extended her winning streak to six matches at No. 2 singles, defeating Dharmaratne 6-2, 3-6, 10-5 in a match tiebreaker. Freshman
Aitanna Moreno Villa rallied from a set down at No. 6 singles to defeat Sitanggang 3-6, 7-6, 10-2. The final match to conclude came at No. 3 singles, where Herath staged an impressive comeback after dropping the opening set, defeating Rashid 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 to complete the 7-0 sweep.
Zoric continues to lead LCU in singles victories this season, improving to 12-6 overall and 6-1 in dual matches. Jativa also remained perfect in dual singles competition, moving to 5-0 while improving to 11-5 overall and extending her own winning streak to five matches. De Bernardo's victory pushed the junior into double digits in singles wins at 10-6 on the year.
In doubles play, the top-flight duo of De Bernardo and Zoric continued their strong season, improving to 7-1 together with seven consecutive victories, while Herath and Luders moved to 5-1 as a tandem.
The Lady Chaps will now step back out of conference play Saturday when they host Colorado Mesa Mavericks at the Penny Gullo Tennis Center. First serve is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
