WICHITA FALLS, Texas – BROOKE HUGHES and SASHA KHADZHYAN combined to win five-straight doubles matches and capture the 2013 USTA/ITA South Central Regional Doubles Championship. St. Edward's had seven players in action at the Midwestern State University Tennis Center.
 
Hughes and Khadzhyan were unseeded to start the tournament. They opened up with a convincing victory over Metro State's Taylor Larreau and Cristina Oropeza, 8-0. They followed that with an 8-6 victory over UA Fort Smith's Madison Carr and Brittaney McCasin. In the quarterfinals, the duo took down Tarleton State's Makenzie Mitchell and Silvia Nieva, 8-2. St. Edward's would face off against the St. Mary's team of Felicity Delgado and Cristina Lopez in the semifinals and squeak out 9-8 tiebreaker win over the Rattler duo. In the championship match, the Hilltoppers faced the No. 2 seeded team of Jamie Lee Denton and Mariana Rong of St. Mary's. Hughes and Khadzhyan easily handled the match, 8-5.
 
"Sasha and Brooke played very inspired tennis through five matches and the energy they brought to the court was fun to watch," St. Edward's head coach Kendal Brooks said. "They definitely earned the title of Regional Champions and are very excited about going to Nationals."
 
In other doubles action, the Hilltopper team of FLORENCE BOINON and RAFAELA HAEGELE also had a strong run in the bracket. The team swept Jessica Bentley and Bree Brosig of McMurry, 8-0, in the first round. They also had an easy time with Teresa Haro and Brooke Trevithick of Colorado State-Pueblo, 8-1. The team was able to advance out of its quarterfinal matchup with Midwestern State's Taylor Coffman and KynZee Watson, 8-6, however, their run would end in the semifinals against Rong and Denton, 8-1.
 
The Hilltopper doubles team of SUMMER BIGGS and BREANNE HESSELTINE dropped its first match to Cameron's Angie Torres and Samantha Wood, 8-1. They would fall out of the tourney in the consolation bracket with a loss to Newman's Kirstie Symon and Taylor Jordan, 8-1.
 
In singles action, Hughes and Haegele advanced to the Round of 16. Hughes defeated Newman's Courtney Dold in the first round, 6-1, 6-2, and she took down Midwestern State's Watson, 6-1, 6-2. In the Round of 16, Hughes met the No. 2-seeded Alicia Perez of Tarleton State. She dropped a heartbreaker in a super tiebreaker, 6-3, 0-6, 10-4.
 
Haegele won her first two matches in straight sets, besting Tarleton State's Mariana Rull, 6-4, 6-4, and Colorado Mesa's Rachel McLaughlin, 6-3, 6-3. She fell in the Round of 16 to Midwestern State's Lauren Pineda, 6-1, 7-5.
 
Also competing in singles action was Boinon, who dropped her first match to Lopez of St. Mary's, 6-3, 7-6. She would rally in the consolation bracket to win four-straight matches and advance to the consolation bracket final. She downed UA Fort Smith's Carr, 6-2, 6-4 and Tarleton State's Silvia Nieva, 6-4, 6-2, to reach the consolation semifinals. In the semifinals, Boinon defeated fellow Heartland Conference member Kirsten Pierce of Dallas Baptist, 4-6, 6-3, 10-4. In the consolation final her run would end, falling to Midwestern State's Madeline Schorlemmer, 6-3, 6-2.
 
Biggs won her first match against Colorado State-Pueblo's Trevithick, 6-4, 6-1. However, she dropped her second match to Midwestern State's Amy Clifton, 6-3, 7-5.
 
Both FRANCESCA CHAHER and Khadzhyan won their opening match, with Chaher defeating UT-Permian Basin's Krissy Chavez, 6-2, 6-2, and Khadzhyan defeated Newman's Lisa Pleskan, 7-6, 6-2. They both would fall in the second round, with Chaher dropping in straight sets to Midwestern State's Coffman, 6-4, 6-4, and Khadzhyan falling to Tarleton State's Ivana Zecevic, 7-5, 6-2.
 
"I was really pleased with our overall team showing this weekend," Brooks said. "We won some big matches and showed a level of fight I haven't seen yet. I was really proud of every single member of the team and their performance. I think the whole team is motivated and ready to prepare for the Spring season."
 
The 2013 USTA/ITA Small College Championships will take place Oct. 9-12 at the Three Oaks Tennis Center in Fort Meyers, Fla. Check the Hilltopper Athletic Website for results.
 
2013 USTA/ITA South Central Regional
St. Edward's Results
Singles competition
r64 SUMMER BIGGS (St. Edward's) def. Brooke Trevithick (CSU-Pueblo) 6-4, 6-1
r32 Amy Clifton (Midwestern State) def. SUMMER BIGGS (St. Edward's) 6-3, 7-5
r64 FRANCESCA CHAHER (St. Edward's) def. Krissy Chavez (UT-Permian Basin) 6-2, 6-2
r32 Taylor Coffman (Midwestern State) def. FRANCESCA CHAHER (St. Edward's) 6-4, 6-4
r64 Christina Lopez (St. Mary's) def. FLORENCE BOINON (St. Edward's) 6-3, 7-6
c32 FLORENCE BOINON (St. Edward's) def. Madison Carr (UA Fort Smith) 6-2, 6-4
r64 SASHA KHADZHYAN (St. Edward's) def. Lisa Pleskan (Newman) 7-6, 6-2
r32 Ivana Zecevic (Tarleton State) def. SASHA KHADZHYAN (St. Edward's) 7-5, 6-2
r64 RAFAELA HAEGELE (St. Edward's) def. Marina Rull (Tarleton State) 6-4, 6-4
r32 RAFAELA HAEGELE (St. Edward's) def. Rachel McLaughlin (Colorado Mesa) 6-3, 6-3
r64 BROOKE HUGHES (St. Edward's) def. Courtney Dold (Newman) 6-1, 6-2
r32 BROOKE HUGHES (St. Edward's) def. KynZee Watson (Midwestern State) 6-1, 6-2
r16 Lauren Pineda (Midwestern State) def. RAFAELA HAEGELE (St. Edward's) 6-1, 7-5
r16 Alicia Perez (Tarleton State) def. BROOKE HUGHES (St. Edward's) 6-3, 0-6, 1-0
c16 FLORENCE BOINON (St. Edward's) def. Silvia Nieva (Tarleton State) 6-4, 6-2
cqf FLORENCE BOINON (St. Edward's) def. Amy Belanger (UA Fort Smith) 6-4, 3-6, 1-0
csf FLORENCE BOINON (St. Edward's) def. Kirsten Pierce (Dallas Baptist) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0
cf Madeline Schorlemmer (Midwestern State) def. FLORENCE BOINON (St. Edward's) 6-3, 6-2
 
Doubles competition
r32 Angie Torres/Samantha Woods (Cameron) def. SUMMER BIGGS/BREANNE HESSELTINE (St. Edward's) 8-1
cqf Kirstie Symon/Taylor Jordan (Newman) def. SUMMER BIGGS/BREANNE HESSELTINE (St. Edward's) 8-1
r32 BROOKE HUGHES/SASHA KHADZHYAN (St. Edward's) def. Cristina Oropeza/Taylor Larreau (Metro State) 8-0
r16 BROOKE HUGHES/SASHA KHADZHYAN (St. Edward's) def. Brittaney McCasin/Madison Carr (UA Fort Smith) 8-6
qf BROOKE HUGHES/SASHA KHADZHYAN (St. Edward's) def. Makenzie Mitchell/Silvia Nieva (Tarleton State) 8-2
r32 RAFAELA HAEGELE/FLORENCE BOINON (St. Edward's) def. Jessica Bentley/Bree Brosig (McMurry) 8-0
r16 RAFAELA HAEGELE/FLORENCE BOINON (St. Edward's) def. Brooke Trevithick/Teresa Haro (CSU-Pueblo) 8-1
qf RAFAELA HAEGELE/FLORENCE BOINON (St. Edward's) def. Taylor Coffman/KynZee Watson (Midwestern State) 8-6
sf BROOKE HUGHES/SASHA KHADZHYAN (St. Edward's) def. Christina Lopez/Felicity Delgado (St. Mary's) 9-8
f BROOKE HUGHES/SASHA KHADZHYAN (St. Edward's) def. Mariana Rong/Jamie Lee Denton (St. Mary's) 8-5
sf Mariana Rong/Jamie Lee Denton (St. Mary's) def. FLORENCE BOINON/RAFAELA HAEGELE (St. Edward's) 8-1