In Case You Missed It: UCO Womens Tennis Central Region Championships

The University of Central Oklahoma Women’s Tennis team played this past weekend at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Region Championships at Edmond Center Court.

Senior Pete Komada and junior Ayaka Koga were proclaimed the doubles regional champions, earning UCO an advancing spot in the next month’s ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia, Oct. 16-19.

The Bronchos won 13 games in the first round to start the ITA Regional Championship, and they maintained that winning streak into the weekend. Komada and Koga went 5-0 through this weekend.

They defeated Emily Thinnsen and Chloe Siegfort of Sioux Falls 8-2 on Friday night. The pair overcame adversity on Saturday afternoon, defeating Monica Balau and Elis Gergel of Arkansas Tech 9–7 before defeating Emilia O’Neill and Amishi Shukla of Southeastern Oklahoma State 8–2.

Komada and Koga advanced to the championship on Sunday afternoon after defeating Jasel Bailey and Peyton Koper of Washburn, 8–4. They then defeated Karli Roux of Harding and Brooke Coffman 6-1, 6-1 to secure the doubles title.

“Pete and I have known each other for about 10 years, and we understand each other well,” Koga said, “Communicating in Japanese helps us strategize quickly during matches, and we’ve been able to complement each other’s strengths.”

Komada added, “We kept encouraging each other and stayed positive. That match gave us confidence to push through the rest of the tournament.”

In singles, Komada advanced to the final and finished second after defeating Washburn’s Bailey 6-4, 6-1, and Victoria Debono of Emporia 6-2, 6-0 on Friday to advance to the Round of 16.

Komada defeated Miru Nonaka of Northwest Missouri 6-1, 6-2, and Jevrosima Mitic of Missouri Western 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday.

“I told myself to give everything I had and focus on what I needed to do in the moment,” Komada said. She continued, “Of course, I feel a little sad to finish as the singles runner-up, but winning the doubles title and qualifying for the Nationals in Georgia next month makes me very happy and motivated.”

“It was a great tournament for us,” assistant coach Izumi Asano said. “Last year, none of my players even made it to the last day, but this year we had six. Pete finished runner-up in singles, and Ayaka and Pete winning doubles shows a big step forward, and I’m really proud of them.”

Sophomore Anika Ouwejan also contributed to UCO’s strong performance by reaching the quarterfinals after winning three matches, and later losing to Renske Ubachs, playing for Washburn University.

“The most challenging moment was in the quarterfinals against a Dutch friend from another school. It’s always difficult to play against friends, and I struggled to find my rhythm and made mistakes I normally wouldn’t. I tried to reset mentally, stay patient, and focus on getting back to my game,” she said.

Komada will find out if she will compete for one or two national titles in Georgia next month when the association announces at-large bids for the ITA Cup after the eight ITA regional tournaments are over. On the other hand, with the fall season complete, the Bronchos will return