By Vincent Rupena – Spear Reporter
Freshman Cheuk Ying Shek chasing after a ball in a singles match against UNLV. | Photo by Andrew Hartley – The Spear
San Jose State’s tennis team underwent a heartbreaking loss against UNLV on Friday with the final score 4-3.
The margin of defeat was extremely narrow for the Spartans having multiple opportunities that could have changed the outcome of the match.
Both sets of senior Carolina Millan’s singles match went to tiebreakers. She was not able to secure victory, losing 7-6 (7-3) and 7-6 (9-7).
Senior Olaya Bances Iglesias lost her first singles set 6-0. After her second set went to a tiebreaker, she was unable to force a third losing 7-6 (7-4).
The fate of the match was placed in freshman Cheuk Ying Shek‘s hands. With the score of the match tied 3-3, the outcome of Ying Shek’s singles match would determine victory or defeat for SJSU.
Shek lost the first set 6-3 but bounced back in the second, winning 6-3. In the third and deciding set of the match, Shek fought hard but came up short.
“Keep moving forward, keep pressing and she’ll do fine,” SJSU head coach Chad Skorupka said about Ying Shek’s performance.
Ying Shek received a lot of support from her teammates during and after the result of the match.
“We all have been in that position as tennis players and also college tennis players and especially the score that she had it could go either way,” Spartans’ senior Irena Muradyan said. “It was a loss for the team, not only her loss, we were on it, all of us.”
Muradyan had a strong performance in the loss against the Rebels. She and partner Ying Shek were the Spartans’ only pair to win in doubles. Muradyan went on to dominate her singles match, winning in two commanding sets 6-3 and 6-3.
Muradyan and fellow seniors Millan, Jovana Babic, and Rozalina Youseva, will be celebrated after SJSU’s final home match of the season on Sunday.
“Hopefully we can regroup, have a little practice tomorrow, get back out there and send out our four seniors on a positive note,” Skorupka said.
The final home match is against Utah State and is set to take place at noon on April 14.