TYLER, Texas (May 8, 2025) - No. 42 Lubbock Christian University saw its season come to an end Thursday afternoon, falling 4-0 to No. 26 University of Texas at Tyler in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional at Summers Tennis Center. The top-seeded Patriots advanced to the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis National Championships in Surprise, Ariz., while the fourth-seeded Lady Chaps closed the year at 15-7 in the program's second NCAA postseason appearance.
LCU opened the dual by claiming the first completed doubles match, as seniors
Oshini Herath and
Alexandra Luders earned a 6-3 victory over Paula Castellanos and Maria Antonio Ortega at the No. 2 position. The Patriots answered quickly at No. 3 doubles, where Hailey Zhang and Carla Rodier defeated freshmen
Kristel Jativa and
Ana Sofía Valero Treviño 6-3 to even doubles play. The deciding point came at the top flight, where the nationally ranked UT Tyler tandem of No. 8 Yona Bancarel and Natalia Gorzny edged LCU's No. 2 duo of
Andrea De Bernardo and
AnaMaria Zoric 6-4. The loss snapped a 10-match win streak for De Bernardo and Zoric, who finished the season 19-3 overall and 18-2 in dual competition at No. 1 doubles (their first loss against a nationally ranked foe this season, as they went 8-1 in the category).
Singles competition tilted heavily in favor of the Patriots, who secured straight-set victories in the first three completed matches to clinch the regional title. At No. 2 singles, No. 50 Natalia Gorzny handed No. 43 Zoric a 6-2, 6-0 defeat in the first singles match off court. The loss ended Zoric's five-match winning streak and marked her first loss of the season against a nationally ranked opponent, as the sophomore closed the campaign tied for the team lead with 22 singles victories and a 15-5 dual record.
UT Tyler doubled its lead moments later at No. 3 singles, where Maria Antonio Ortega defeated Herath 6-1, 6-3. Herath concluded a four-year Lady Chaps career with a 49-41 singles record and 46-55 doubles mark after serving as a member of the program's inaugural roster.
The clinching point came on court one, where No. 9 Yona Bancarel defeated No. 53 De Bernardo 6-2, 6-0 to seal the 4-0 victory for the Patriots. De Bernardo closed the season 19-11 overall in singles play and 14-7 in dual matches, while finishing 2-5 against nationally ranked opponents.
Three singles matches went unfinished after the clinch, though LCU showed signs of momentum on multiple courts. Jativa had rebounded after dropping the opening set and led Zhang 4-6, 3-0 at No. 4 singles when play stopped. The freshman finished the season with a co-team-leading 22 wins (22-9) and co-team-leading 16 duals wins (16-2), including an 11-2 mark at the No. 4 position. At No. 5 singles, Valero Treviño held a 7-5, 0-0 edge over Rodier, and at No. 6 singles,
Aitanna Moreno Villa led Castellanos 6-3, 0-4 in an unfinished contest.
Seniors Herath and Luders provided LCU's lone completed victory of the day in doubles play, improving to 7-9 together on the season. The Lady Chaps finished the year 15-7 overall and dropped to 0-2 all-time in NCAA postseason competition after also falling in last season's regional at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.
