Match Results
St. George, UT -- The Urban Knights played their opening match of the Dixie State Tournament against the host Red Storm, and in a strong showing, Academy of Art swept their PacWest foes with a resounding 9-0 victory. Friday's match marked the Knights first sweep of the season, and the Knights continued their dominance of Dixie, improving their record to 7-1 all-time.
"When you get to this stage and have matches under belt, its good to get a win like this," said head coach Jerry Peach. "Each player had individual contributions to help team total. Every single person played well out there to get us the win."
The Knights started off strong in doubles play, as
Kunkanda "Cartoon" Phukchampa and
Amal Ben El Hadj handled Krista Anderson and Sarah Hughes 8-3.
Diane Phan, in her second match back from injury, showed that she was at full strength, pairing up with
Daniela Amelunge Antelo to defeat the #2 team for Dixie State 8-2.
Courtney DeWalt and
Paola Correa Fe did the same in the #3 slot, winning 8-6 in the closest match of the day.
"I thought doubles play was better today," Peach said. "Dani and Diane are a solid team and Cartoon has been playing better. In this situation, we're just trying to form the best team out there."
Heading into singles play, Phukchampa (6-1, 6-0) and Ben El Hadj (6-0, 6-1) dominated their respective opponents. Diane continued her strong play, defeating Allison Evans 6-1, 6-1 in the #3 slot. Amelunge Antelo (6-2, 6-0),
Jenny Johansson (6-1, 6-0), and
Maria "Belen" Tenorio (6-1, 6-4) also went about their business, taming the Red Storm on their home court.
"We put the challenge in everybody's hands, and singles play was very convincing," said Coach Peach. "We learn how to win and it creates good habits. We're embracing the challenge of competition. We like to play tennis, and we like it a whole lot better when we're successful. This was the most satisfying win of the year, and it sets the stage for tomorrow."
The Urban Knights will play two matches tomorrow, facing off against Southern Utah in the morning and taking on Colorado Mesa in the afternoon match.
