Saturday, April 29
San Diego, CA / Barnes Tennis Center
12 P.M.
2
vs
4
No. 1 Hawai'i
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Photo by: The Big West
Mustangs Fight, Come Up Short in Big West Championship
4/29/2023 5:30:00 PM | Women's Tennis
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Cal Poly women's tennis saw its incredible run to the Big West Championship match come to an unfortunate end Saturday as the Mustangs fell to top-seeded Hawai'i 4-2 in the finals.
Despite the loss, the second-seeded Mustangs fought until the bitter end and left it all on the court in their third straight Big West Championship match appearance. The team showed tremendous grit and determination during Saturday's dual with the Rainbow Wahine (14-7) and all season long, first-year head coach Ellie Edles Williams said.
"I'm so proud of this team," she said. "We battled hard, never gave up, and played to win. We had a tough start to the season, and even though the finals didn't go our way today we had a great run. It's not easy getting a new head coach, but this team fought through adversity, put their trust in me and I can't thank them enough."
For the third consecutive match in the Big West Championships, the Mustangs opened the dual by securing the doubles point in dramatic finish. After losing at No. 3, Cal Poly needed to win at No. 1 and No. 2 in order to earn the point — and they did just that.
First at No. 1, redshirt junior Delanie Dunkle and sophomore Peyton Dunkle grabbed a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5) victory to finish the season on a three-match winning streak and with a 14-7 overall record, tied for the sixth-most dual victories in a season by a doubles pairing in Division I program history.
For the third consecutive dual at the Big West Championships, graduate student Kim Bhunu (pictured above) and freshman Kennedy Buntrock clinched the doubles point for Cal Poly with a thrilling 7-6 (7-3) win at No. 2. The duo ends the year on a seven-match winning streak and with a 13-5 mark, tied for the 10th-most dual victories in a season by a doubles pairing in Division I program history. Cal Poly's No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams finished a perfect 3-0 at the Big West Championships.
In singles, Hawai'i won at No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 to take a 3-1 lead, but the Mustangs continued to battle. After losing the first set in her match at No. 5, Buntrock rallied and throttled her opponent in the second and third sets, capturing a 1-6, 6-0, 6-0 win. It was Buntrock's fifth consecutive singles victory and she finishes the year with a 9-3 record at the No. 5 spot.
Bhunu (No. 1) and redshirt junior Melissa LaMette (No. 2) also dropped the first set in their matches, but fought back to force a decisive third set in each of their battles. Unfortunately, Bhunu came up just short in her match, allowing the Rainbow Wahine to clinch the championship.
Despite her loss at No. 6 Saturday, freshman Alexandra Ozerets ended the year with a team-best 15-5 singles record, tied for the ninth-most dual singles victories in a season in Division I program history.
After starting 1-5, the Mustangs (14-9) won 13 of their last 17 matches to close out the season. Cal Poly also finished with 14 or more wins for the third consecutive season — a first in the program's Division I history.
The future is bright for the Mustangs as a majority of the lineup that competed in the Big West Championship match is slated to return next season. Bhunu, a two-time All-Big West selection in singles and doubles, is the only one not returning, and she will be deeply missed.
"It's been so special to coach Kim again in her final year," Williams said. "What she's done for this program is truly amazing."
Despite the loss, the second-seeded Mustangs fought until the bitter end and left it all on the court in their third straight Big West Championship match appearance. The team showed tremendous grit and determination during Saturday's dual with the Rainbow Wahine (14-7) and all season long, first-year head coach Ellie Edles Williams said.
"I'm so proud of this team," she said. "We battled hard, never gave up, and played to win. We had a tough start to the season, and even though the finals didn't go our way today we had a great run. It's not easy getting a new head coach, but this team fought through adversity, put their trust in me and I can't thank them enough."
For the third consecutive match in the Big West Championships, the Mustangs opened the dual by securing the doubles point in dramatic finish. After losing at No. 3, Cal Poly needed to win at No. 1 and No. 2 in order to earn the point — and they did just that.
First at No. 1, redshirt junior Delanie Dunkle and sophomore Peyton Dunkle grabbed a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5) victory to finish the season on a three-match winning streak and with a 14-7 overall record, tied for the sixth-most dual victories in a season by a doubles pairing in Division I program history.
For the third consecutive dual at the Big West Championships, graduate student Kim Bhunu (pictured above) and freshman Kennedy Buntrock clinched the doubles point for Cal Poly with a thrilling 7-6 (7-3) win at No. 2. The duo ends the year on a seven-match winning streak and with a 13-5 mark, tied for the 10th-most dual victories in a season by a doubles pairing in Division I program history. Cal Poly's No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams finished a perfect 3-0 at the Big West Championships.
In singles, Hawai'i won at No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 to take a 3-1 lead, but the Mustangs continued to battle. After losing the first set in her match at No. 5, Buntrock rallied and throttled her opponent in the second and third sets, capturing a 1-6, 6-0, 6-0 win. It was Buntrock's fifth consecutive singles victory and she finishes the year with a 9-3 record at the No. 5 spot.
Bhunu (No. 1) and redshirt junior Melissa LaMette (No. 2) also dropped the first set in their matches, but fought back to force a decisive third set in each of their battles. Unfortunately, Bhunu came up just short in her match, allowing the Rainbow Wahine to clinch the championship.
Despite her loss at No. 6 Saturday, freshman Alexandra Ozerets ended the year with a team-best 15-5 singles record, tied for the ninth-most dual singles victories in a season in Division I program history.
After starting 1-5, the Mustangs (14-9) won 13 of their last 17 matches to close out the season. Cal Poly also finished with 14 or more wins for the third consecutive season — a first in the program's Division I history.
The future is bright for the Mustangs as a majority of the lineup that competed in the Big West Championship match is slated to return next season. Bhunu, a two-time All-Big West selection in singles and doubles, is the only one not returning, and she will be deeply missed.
"It's been so special to coach Kim again in her final year," Williams said. "What she's done for this program is truly amazing."
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