Cal Poly Women’s Tennis secured their second Big West Championship in program history after defeating Cal State Fullerton 4-3.
In their first championship win since 2003, the No. 5 seeded Mustangs, beat Long Beach State, the No. 1 seeded UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton.
In addition to their title, Cal Poly also secured their bid to the NCAA tournament taking place May 3 and 4.
Quarterfinals vs. No. 4 seed Long Beach State
The Mustangs defeated Long Beach State 4-3 despite losing the doubles point.
Junior Eliza Bates and sophomore Kennedy Buntrock took their matchup in the third spot 6-4 to keep the Mustangs’ doubles hopes alive, but ultimately the Beach took the doubles point.
The Dunkle sisters started in the one and two spots. Graduate student Delanie Dunkle lost both of her sets 6-4 but her younger sister Peyton won her matchup in two sets.
Sophomore Alexandra Ozerets also won in two sets 6-2 and 6-4.
The match came down to graduate student Melissa LaMette in the No. 5 spot and Buntrock in the No. 6 spot. Both of them lost the first set.
Buntrock improved as her match went on, limiting her opponent to winning three games in the second set and one in the third.
After losing 6-4 in the first set, LaMette took the last two sets with a score of 6-3 for both.
Semifinals vs. No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara
The Mustangs once again beat their opponent despite losing the doubles point. However, the Mustangs bounced back in singles play, with No. 2-6 spots winning the first set.
Junior Romane Mosse took the first point for the Mustangs swiftly, winning 6-1 in both sets at the No. 4 spot.
Ozerets and Peyton Dunkle took their matchups in the No. 2 and 3 spots, but Delanie Dunkle fell 6-4 in two sets in the No. 1 spot.
The game-clinching point came from LaMette. Her second set went to a tiebreaker, and she won 7-5 to give the Mustangs the victory and the upset.
Finals vs. No. 6 seed Cal State Fullerton
Cal Poly previously lost to Fullerton 4-3 in the regular season but claimed victory Saturday when it came down to LaMette in the final singles match.
In doubles, the Dunkle sisters won their matchup in dominant fashion, 6-0. Their record as a pair this season was 13-5, and Delanie’s 54 career doubles victories tie Chelsy Thomspon and Brittany Blalock for most in program history.
The match was tied 3-3 when it came down to LaMette at No. 5.
Losing 5-2 and down a set already, LaMette came back to send her second set to a tiebreak, which she won 7-1.
She won the third set 6-4, the team mobbing and embracing her as she lay on the ground.
The clutch win put LaMette in third place in Cal Poly Division I history in her 48th career singles win.
The Mustangs will start off the NCAA Tournament Tennis Championship brackets against USC on Friday, May 3 in Los Angeles, CA.