Abbes and Kobayashi Fall In NCAA Opener
May 26, 2016 | Women's Tennis
TULSA, Okla. – Washington duo Nour Abbes and Miki Kobayashi fell in their opener at the NCAA Doubles Championships today to North Carolina's Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay 6-3, 6-2 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
“It was a great experience for the girls this week,” said head coach Robin Stephenson. “It will help them a lot personally and we expect them to bring great leadership to the team next year.”
The match began with the Huskies and Tar Heels trading points, tied at 2-2 after the first four games. Down 15-40 in the fifth, the 21st ranked Washington duo battled back to make it 40-40 before dropping a tough point, giving UNC a lead they would hold on to for the remainder of the set and win 6-3.
In the second set the Dawgs grabbed a quick first point before Carter and Kay, ranked 2nd in the country by the ITA, grabbed two points to take back the lead. Despite playing North Carolina tough and keeping many of the games close, Washington was unable to battle back, falling in the second set 6-2 giving the victory to UNC.
“They have played with the best in the country this season and have proven to be one of the best teams out there,” said Stephenson. “It's hard when a season comes to an end but I am excited for the direction this program is headed and to get back to work with the team.”
Abbes, from Tunis Tunisia, finishes the season with double-digit wins in both singles and doubles, holding a national ranking by the ITA in each as well. She defeated two top-5 nationally ranked doubles teams paired with Kobayashi this year and was named All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention.
Kobayashi closes out her sophomore campaign with 25 doubles wins on the year, tied for the 7th most in a season in Washington history. The Nagano, Japan native defeated three doubles pairs ranked nationally in the top-5 this year, two with Abbes, and holds a spot on the ITA Doubles Rankings with two different partners.
This was the first time Washington had a duo in the NCAA Doubles Tournament since 2011, and marks the end of the women's tennis season. As a team the Huskies finished 13-10 overall, with wins over five ranked opponents including No. 44 Saint Mary's at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend and No. 15 Baylor on the road.
Results:
NCAA Doubles Championship – First Round
No. 2 Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay (UNC) def. No. 21 Nour Abbes and Miki Kobayashi (UW) 6-3, 6-2
Players Mentioned
