College Tennis News - No. 15 Lady Raiders Clinch Share Of Big 12 Title

Texas Tech Hosts Baylor On Sunday At 2 P.M. In Regular Season Finale.

LUBBOCK, Texas - It took his ace to earn a pair on Friday at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center, as Texas Tech head coach Todd Petty engineered a 4-3 win over No. 25 TCU for the Lady Raiders to earn a share of its second consecutive Big 12 Conference title.

With Texas Tech (18-4, 8-0 Big 12) leading 3-2 over TCU (17-4, 6-2 Big 12) and two matches still on the court, Petty relied on his No. 1 player Samantha Adams to lead the team home.

Adams, who is ranked No. 93 in the nation, clinched the match with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 45 Stefanie Tan at No. 1 singles. The ranked win was Adams' biggest of the season and the biggest since she upended No. 26 Aeriel Lewis of Texas last season.

The day started with doubles, when Texas Tech jumped out quickly and cruised to the point. No. 15 Adams and Kenna Kilgo toppled Olivia Smith and Tan, 8-2, at No. 1, while Lady Raiders Nikki Sanders and Rashmi Teltumbde tripped Gabi Barbosa and Kelsey Sundaram, 8-2 at No. 2.

Caroline Starck and Elizabeth Ullathorne picked up the sweep, as the duo won the tiebreaker over Millie Nichols and Monika Sirilova, 6-5 (7-3). It was Texas Tech's 21st doubles point in 22 matches this season.

Sanders made quick work of Nichols at No. 5, dispatching the Horned Frog, 6-2, 6-2, to give Texas Tech a 2-0 lead.

TCU answered with Sundaram's win over Starck at No. 6, 6-4, 6-3. It was Starck's first Big 12 loss of the season. Then No. 100 Smith won in straight sets over Kilgo, 7-6, 6-2, to tie the team score, 2-2, with three matches remaining.

Teltumbde won the first set over Simona Parajova, 6-3, before dropping the second, 6-0, and pulling out a 6-4 win in the third to give Tech a 3-2 lead.

Then came Adams' heroics.

Sirilova picked up a late win over Ullathorne, 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 at No. 4 to close out the team scoring, 4-3, but it was too little, too late for the Horned Frogs, who slipped to third in the Big 12 standings.

Texas Tech returns to action on Sunday at 2 p.m., as it tries to close out the season with a perfect Big 12 record as it hosts No. 28 Baylor. The last team to run the tables in the Big 12 was Baylor in 2010. The Lady Raiders are trying to set a new school single-match attendance record. Attendance is free and free pizza will be served. There will also be prizes awarded during the match.

Singles

1. #93 Samantha Adams (TT) def. #45 Stefanie Tan (TCU), 2-6, 6-4, 6-3

2. #100 Olivia Smith (TCU) def. Kenna Kilgo (TT), 7-6, 6-2

3. Rashmi Teltumbde (TT) def. Simona Parajova (TCU), 6-3, 0-6, 6-4

4. Monika Sirilova (TCU) def. Elizabeth Ullathorne (TT), 4-6, 7-6, 1-0

5. Nikki Sanders (TT) def. Millie Nichols (TCU), 6-2, 6-2

6. Kelsey Sundaram (TCU) def. Caroline Starck (TT), 6-4, 6-3

Doubles

1. #15 Samantha Adams / Kenna Kilgo (TT) def. Olivia Smith / Stefanie Tan (TCU), 8-2

2. Nikki Sanders / Rashmi Teltumbde (TT) def. Gabi Barbosa ?Kelsey Sundaram (TCU), 8-2

3. Caroline Starck / Elizabeth Ullathorne (TT) def. Millie Nichols / Monika Sirilova (TCU), 6-5 (7-3)

Match Notes:

#15 Texas Tech (18-4, 8-0 Big 12)

#25 TCU (17-4, 6-2 Big 12)

Order of Finish: Singles (5,6,2,3,1,4). Doubles (1,2,3)

T: 3:54