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UH’s Nguyen falls in first round of NCAA tournament

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Cindy Nguyen earned the Big West’s automatic berth to compete again this year.

University of Hawaii sophomore Cindy Nguyen’s season ended with a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Clemson senior Beatrice Gumulya in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Championship on Wednesday in Waco, Texas.

Nguyen had a seven-match winning streak snapped with a first-round exit in her second appearance in the NCAA tournament. She entered the tournament ranked 95th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association while Gumulya came into the event at No. 60.

Nguyen opened the match at Baylor’s Hurd Tennis Center with a service break, but Gumulya answered and kept Nguyen on the move while sweeping through the rest of the first set.

Gumulya went up a break early in the second set but Nguyen came back to tie the set at 3-3. Gumulya broke Nguyen’s serve again then held to push her lead to 5-3. Nguyen held serve but Gumulya closed out the match to advance to the round of 32.

Nguyen, the Big West Player of the Year, went 15-3 in the regular season and earned the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

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