Box Score WICHITA, Kan. – Fort Hays State Tennis wrapped up its 2024-25 season on Saturday (Apr. 26) with a conference match against Newman University. The Tigers fell 5-2 to the Jets, finishing 13-9 overall and 2-7 in the MIAA. However,
Irina Alfonso wrapped her collegiate tennis career with a historic achievement as the first FHSU player to ever record 40 wins in a season (21 doubles, 19 singles).
The 13 wins in the 2024-25 season tied the second most in a season during the program's NCAA Division II era, also achieved three other times. It was the most wins for the Tigers in the program's history with the MIAA, which began in 2006-07.
It came down to singles play for Alfonso to reach her 40
th win this season. Shaking off illness from days prior, Alfonso won in straight sets 7-5, 6-4 over Nicole Bono. Alfonso already broke the single-season record at FHSU for wins in a season a couple of weeks prior when she reached 36, but she pushed the standard higher by five and closed out her tremendous career with 89 wins over just 3.5 years (came to FHSU at spring semester of 2021-22).
Grace Unruh picked up the other win for FHSU at No. 6 singles. She was up 5-2 in the first set when her opponent had to retire from the match. For Unruh, it was her 10
th win at No. 6 for the season and pushed her school record for career wins at the No. 6 position to 24, which she accomplished in just three seasons.
Newman swept the doubles competition for its first team point. The No. 2 team of Alfonso and
Suzana Faucz had the closest match, falling 6-3. The No. 2 team of
Yone Pereiro and
Ines Latorre fell 6-2, while the No. 1 team of
Shreethika Vangala and
Janae Montoya fell 6-1.
The Tigers were close to flipping the match in their favor in singles play. Faucz went three sets with her opponent at the No. 3 position, while Pereiro fell in a pair of close sets at the No. 4 position. Faucz won her first set 6-3, but then fell by the same count in the second and third sets. Pereiro fell 7-5, 6-4 in her match. Vangala won three games within her No. 1 match, falling 6-2, 6-1, while
Bethan Gill notched four games in a 6-2, 6-2 loss at No. 5.
Faucz set a new record for wins in a season by a freshman with 36, which also puts her second on the single-season wins list for any year behind Alfonso's 40. The pair helped each other achieve the high marks by recording 21 wins as a doubles team this year, which tied the most career wins by a doubles pair at FHSU, playing just one season together.
Overall, the Tigers recorded 98 wins in singles play this year and 51 doubles matches. Alfonso, Unruh, Faucz, and Gill all reached double digits in singles wins.
