Match Results (Hilo)
Match Results (GCU)

Glendale, AZ - The Urban Knights tennis team got their first victory of the 2012 season with a hard-fought 5-4 win over Hawaii Hilo, but then hit a snag in their twilight match of the day against host Grand Canyon 9-0. ART U performed well in singles play, but faltered in doubles play to get the split.

"We have our sights set on improving our doubles play; we have made progress, but there is more to do," said head coach Jerry Peach. "Our plan is to get back to work tomorrow. Singles play has been good; we are competing better in singles than doubles at this time. This is common when early in the season."

The Knights showed their confidence in the singles play early against Hilo, winning the first eight games and sweeping the top four matches. Kunkanda "Cartoon" Phukchampa (6-2, 6-3), Amal Ben El Hadj (6-3, 6-0), Kinga Kurczbuch (6-1, 6-1), and Jenny Johansson (6-0, 6-0) all won their games in straight sets. The two freshmen Swedes dominated their Vulcan opponents, and Coach Peach was impressed.

"Kinga is hitting her stride, as evidenced by her scores," Peach said. "Jenny is another freshman playing very well. She is learning the mental side of the game."

The Knights won their first doubles match, as Phukchampa and Ben El Hadj teamed up on to defeat Melanie Viriyapunt and Emelie Laussen 8-1. Kurczbuch and Johansson lost their match in a hard-fought 5-8 battle, and Morrisa Kahakui and Chelsea Sato defeated ART U's Cecilia Hedin and Paola Correa Fe 8-4 to conclude the match. 

"We could have had a 6-3 match, but we had too inconsistent play in doubles," Peach said. "All players had some good moments and some moments of stress on court." 

The match against Grand Canyon was a little tougher on the Knights, as the 14th-ranked Lopes presented Academy of Art with a steep hill to climb early on. Phukchampa was defeated 6-1, 6-4 by Katharina Mittag, and Ben El Hadj also dropped her match to Priscilla Annoual. But those two provided a spark for the Knights in doubles play, despite the loss to the Lopes.

"Cartoon and Amal played very hard during this match," Coach Peach said. "Amal probably ran three miles during her play, as she is so consistent, she rarely misses. Cartoon is beginning to knock the rust off of her game; she is a dominant player who needs to put things together on an all-court game. I like the way she hits the ball, as she is very crisp. Both Amal and Cartoon have great hands and are going to be good doubles players in the future."

The Knights continued to fight in their other matches, with the younger cohort of ART U players getting valuable experience on the PacWest scene. They'll have another double day tomorrow against Western New Mexico and Chaminade. 

"Our younger players still continue to experience tough moments on court," Peach said. "There are so many good players, we are being challenged each time out on court. This tournament is a great experience for all of our players."