Results
LOUISVILLE – The number one doubles team of
Tabtip Louhabanjong (Krabi, Thailand/West Anchorage (AK)) and
Katie Eaton (Halesowen, United Kingdom/Haybridge) nearly pulled an upset over the tenth-ranked pairing in the nation as No. 35 IUP lost to sixth-ranked Abilene Christian 5-0 in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships on Wednesday morning at the Top Gun Academy.
Louhabanjong and Eaton lost to ACU's Micah Hermsdorf and Hannah Kelley 8-6, trailing at one point just 6-5 and tying it late 6-6.
Prior to that loss,
Emilia Osborne (Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom/Cedars ) and
Tanya Timko (Cannonsburg, PA/Chartiers-Houston) fell at the second spot 8-3 to Julia and Laura Mongin while
Ranvita Mahto (Burlington, ON/Robert Bateman) and
Erika Schnaas (Mexico City, Mexico/Escuela Nacional Preparatoria ) lost to Brittney Reed and Madelyn Walker 8-3 at number three.
In singles play, Reed defeated Eaton 6-0, 6-1 at number three before Kelley clinched the victory for ACU at number five with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Osborne.
Prior to the match, Louhabanjong was honored with the NCAA's Elite 89 Award as the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average competing at the women's tennis championships. A student-athlete at each of the NCAA's 89 championships throughout Division's I, II and III receive this prestigious award.
Louhabanjong becomes the third IUP student-athlete, and second women's tennis player, to receive this award in its short two-year history, following Joe Rocco (men's basketball) in the winter of 2011 and
Kelly McBryan (Grove City/Grove City) (women's tennis) in the spring of 2011.
A foreign languages, literatures and linguistics major, Louhabanjong carries a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
With the win, ACU (25-3) advances to the quarterfinals of the championships on Thursday.
The loss ends the season for the Crimson Hawks, who finish with a 22-8 overall record, the most wins in the history of the program, breaking last year's mark of 21.
It was the second straight year that IUP has advanced to the NCAA's round of 16, falling to Armstrong Atlantic in the opening round in Altamonte Springs, Florida in 2011.
