ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The UTEP tennis team concluded the 2016 USTA/ITA Mountain Regionals on Sunday at the New Mexico campus in Albuquerque, N.M.
Milou Pietersz and Vivienne Kulicke played in the championship round against Air Force’s TJ Fumagali and Jocelle Rudico. The UTEP duo successfully took down the opponent with a 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) victory.
Pietersz and Kulicke’s success marks the first time in program history that a UTEP doubles team claims a championship title at the ITA Regional Championships.
The Orange and Blue pair will now move onto the 2016 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.
The 2016 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships serve as the culmination of the fall season. It will be hosted by Columbia University in Flushing, N.Y. at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Nov. 3-6.
“We had a good plan against a well-coached Air Force team”, said head coach Roberto Aspillaga. “At certain moments we deviated from what was working and we put ourselves in a tough situation to close the match. I am happy the girls qualified and that all their hard work is paying off, but we need to go back to work and get ready to play the toughest teams in the country now. There won’t be much margin for error when you play at that level and our decision making has to be more consistent.”
This prestigious event features a 32-player singles draw as well as a 20-team doubles draw for men and women.
Gaining automatic entry into the tournament are champions from the USTA/ITA Division I Regional Championships held across the country in October, winners of the ITA Oracle Cup Super Bowl, and the consolation champions, doubles finalists, men’s singles quarterfinalists and women’s singles semifinalists from the ITA Men’s and Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships.
2016 USTA/ITA Mountain Regional Championships – October 15, 2016
Day 5 Results
Doubles Chmapionship: Vivienne Kulicke/ Milou Pietersz def. TJ Fumagali/Jocelle Rudico (USAFA), 6-3, 7-6 (10-8)
