Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Youngstown State women's tennis team won an epic 4-3 Horizon League Championship match against rival Cleveland State on Sunday at the Varsity Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Michigan.
The victory was the seventh Horizon League Championship in school history and marked the second time YSU defeated Cleveland State in the final match at Michigan. The Guins and Vikes had played outdoors here for the title in 2014, which was YSU's first-ever crown.
In the three-hour, 35-minute marathon contest, the match came down to the final singles contest between Cecilia Rosas and Sime Heren at No. 4.
In a grueling contest, Rosas won 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-5. Leading 5-3, Rosas had three Championship points, but Heren battled to tie the set at 5-all. Rosas held serve to go in front 6-5 and was then able to score the final two points at 30-all on Heren's serve for victory. At 40-30, Heren hit a return wide to set off a wild celebration as the Guins claimed the title by a 4-3 margin for the second straight year in Michigan. In the first set, Rosas overcame a 3-0 deficit and with the tiebreaker tied 4-4, she won the last three points to take an important set on a forehand winner.
The Penguins (11-8) jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Vikings (15-8) fought back throughout the match.
In the doubles session, Eliska Masarikova and Elisa Rigazio earned a 6-3 win while Line Greyling and Julia Marko fought back for a 6-4 victory.
Masarikova and Rigazio went in front 4-2 on a booming service ace by Rigazio. With the match at 4-3, Masarikova hit a perfectly placed lob in the back corner to put YSU ahead 5-3. They finished off the match a point later.
At No. 3, Marko and Greyling found themselves trailing 3-0 before finding their footing. The duo scored three straight points to tie the contest, but trailed 4-3. They won the last three points, including a break at 4-4, to help earn the point.
In singles, Rigazio avenged her lone Horizon League defeat of the season to HL Player of the Year Oihane Vicario. Rigazio made quick work of Vicario with a 6-1, 6-2 victory, but she would be a spectator for nearly two hours while awaiting the conclusion of the match.
The Vikings tied the contest at two with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles.
Marko had a wild match at No. 5 singles to get the Penguins on the brink of clinching the championship. She jumped out a to 5-0 lead in her first set against Avery Durham, only to drop a 7-6 (4) decision after Durham stormed back to win six straight points. In the second set, Marko rolled to a 6-1 win, this time jumping out to a modest 4-0 lead. In third set, she scored the final five points after the set was tied 1-1.
Moka Ito had a pair of match points in the second set against CSU's Filippa Frogner, but couldn't get over the hump. Ito won the first set 6-2 and took a 5-4 lead in a back-and-forth second set. Leading 40-30, she had two chances to win the match, but Frogner won the point and eventually took the set 7-5. The third set feature more tremendous play by the two and Ito at one point battled through three match points to stay alive. However, with the tiebreaker tied 4-4, Frogner won three straight points for a 7-4 victory to win the contest.
The Penguins will gather on Monday for the NCAA selection show which is set for 6 p.m.
