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KRISTINA MAROVA & HUI-I HUANG |
| SPORT: |
Women's Tennis |
EVENT (If Applicable): |
Doubles |
| YEAR (S): |
2013 |
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The Embry-Riddle women's tennis pair of Kristina Marova and Hui-I Huang capped off an improbable tournament run with the second ITA/NAIA Doubles National Championship in the fall of 2013. The duo fell in the semifinals of the ITA Regional tournament but were able to earn an at-large bid to the USTA/ITA National Championships.
The Eagles had to compete in a play-in game into the tournament’s main draw. A three-set win over conference foes St. Thomas bolstered the Eagles' confidence and helped them to a three-set upset of the tournament's third seed on Thursday.
Faced with the daunting task of winning two matches in the same day for the national title, Marova and Huang met the challenge head on and easily dispatched the second-seeded Evangel pair of Amy Grossklag-Friz and Jenna Elliot 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals.
The Eagles' next opponent was another unseeded team of Jessica King and Alicia Rodriguez from Lindsey Wilson. The LWC duo posted the biggest upset of the tournament as they toppled the top seed and tournament favorites in three sets to advance to the national title match.
Playing at what ERAU Head Dave Paschal termed "a very high level" Huang and Marova won the opening set 6-3. In the second frame, they dropped the first two games to fall behind 0-2, but the resilient Embry-Riddle pair stormed back to take the next six games and win the national crown.
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Road to the Title
- Play-in: Defeated St. Thomas' Kovalska and Bongiovanni (6-4, 6-4)
- Quarterfinals: Defeated Oklahoma Baptists' Shkot and Baranova (3-6, 6-0, 10-7)
- Semifinals: Defeated Evangel's Grossklag-Friz and Elliot (6-0, 6-1)
- Championship Match: Defeated Lindsey Wilson's King and Rodriguez (6-3, 6-2)
