(Portions of this story courtesy of Texas Lutheran University)
CLAREMONT, Calif. – Texas Lutheran University sophomore Sofia Vega fell Thursday 6-4, 6-4 to Ria Gerger of Middlebury (Vt.) in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Singles Championship.
Vega, the seventh seed in the national tournament, battled back from early deficits in each set but could not hold back Gerger. Vega suffered a service break early in the first set but took a 4-3 lead before Gerger won the last three games to capture the opening set.
In the second set, Vega fell behind 3-1 but broke back to tie the match at 3-3. Gerger won the next two games for a 5-3 lead before closing out the match 6-4.
"We're disappointed in the outcome, of course," said Head Coach Michael Hunt. "Sofia played well, but just couldn't break through. Ria is a very good player and reached the quarterfinals last year. It was surprising that she wasn't seeded and worse yet to draw her first round. Sofia had a few chances, but Ria had answers each time."
Gerger, unseeded but a top talent from top-10 ranked Middlebury, moved into the round-of-16 with the win over Vega. Gerger won her second match Thursday - by a count of 6-2, 6-2 - and plays in the national quarterfinals Friday.
Vega lost in the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year to a player from Middlebury. Last season, Vega fell in the round-of-16 (6-3, 6-1) to eventual national champion Lok-Sze Leung.
Vega, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year and an ITA and NCAA DIII All-American, concludes her 2013-14 campaign with an overall record of 27-4, counting the fall and spring.
Thursday's loss was the first loss of the spring tennis season for Vega. She went 18-1.
"This was a great season for Sofia and another step forward for her," said Hunt. "It's sad to end this way because I do believe she's a top 10 player. She just happened to face another one today."
"I know Sofia is down but she'll use this in the right way and come back hungrier next season."
Vega advanced to her second-straight NCAA tournament. She is the only Bulldog in school history to be selected to an NCAA national tournament in women's or men's tennis.
The 2014 national tournament was hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Claremont, Calif. The Biszantz Family Tennis Center served as the tournament site.
