Box Score GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The No. 1 seed Metropolitan State University of Denver tennis team came up short in the championship match of the 2019 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday, dropping a 4-2 decision to No. 2 seed Dixie State.

"Congratulations to Dixie," MSU Denver coach Josh Graetz said. "When it mattered most, they came out and executed better than we did."

The Trailblazers clinched the crucial doubles point with victories in both the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. Alex Pessoa and Helena Steenberg fell to Yolena Carlon and Isabel Heras in No. 1 doubles, 6-2, before Tabitha Porter and Mackenzie Hotan came up short to Kyra Harames and Megan Lynch in the No. 2 slot by a 6-4 score.

MSU Denver duo Eliza McKean and Olivia Kaiser faced Hattie Erekson and Juliana Honczaruk in No. 3 doubles. The match was locked in a 5-5 tie when the Traiblazers clinched the doubles point.

Pessoa revived MSU Denver's hope when she finished with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Harames in No. 2 singles, tying the match at one point apiece. McKean then put MSU Denver up 2-1 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Elly Lloyd.

The Trailblazers (13-4) evened the match at two when Honczaruk defeated Ainsley Winterrowd in No. 6 singles, 6-1, 6-3. The momentum continued in Dixie State's direction when Lynch beat Kaiser in No. 4 singles, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

MSU Denver (13-10) would need to win both the No. 1 and No. 3 singles matches to come from behind and steal the victory, but that wasn't the Roadrunners' fate on Saturday at the Elliott Tennis Center.

Heras edged Steenberg in a highly competitive match at No. 3 singles by a score of 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to seal the RMAC tournament title for Dixie State. Tabitha Porter was embarking on a comeback against Carlon in the No. 1 slot when the match was clinched – she was up 5-3 in the second set after losing 7-5 in the first.

Though the conference season ended much differently than the Roadrunners wanted, Graetz is still supremely confident in his squad.

"We won't let one loss define us," he said. "It's important we learn from this as a team, rest, recover and get back to the practice court."

MSU Denver now awaits news of a potential berth to the NCAA South Central Regional Championships. The NCAA will announce selected teams on May 7.

RMAC Tournament Championship Match Results

DOUBLES (order of finish: 1, 2, 3)

No. 1: Yolena Carlon/Isabel Heras (DSU) def. Alex Pessoa/Helena Steenberg, 6-2
No. 2: Kyra Harames/Megan Lynch (DSU) def. Tabitha Porter/Mackenzie Hotan, 6-4
#3 - Hattie Erekson/Juliana Honczaruk (DSU) vs. Olivia Kaiser/Eliza McKean, 5-5 unfinished
 
SINGLES (order of finish: 2, 5, 6, 4, 3, 1)
 
No. 1: Yolena Carlon (DSU) vs. Tabitha Porter, 7-5, 3-5 unfinished
No. 2: Alex Pessoa (MSUD) def. Kyra Harames, 6-3, 6-4
No. 3: Isabel Heras (DSU) def. Helena Steenberg, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
No. 4: Megan Lynch (DSU) def. Olivia Kaiser, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 5: Eliza McKean (MSUD) def. Elly Lloyd, 6-3, 6-4
No. 6: Julianna Honczaruk (DSU) def. Ainsley Winterrowd, 6-1, 6-3