SURPRISE, Ariz. – In a match the clearly could have been different had MSU Denver been able to play at full strength, the Roadrunners fell 5-2 to Dominican (Calif.) in a season-ending consolation dual at the Pacific West Conference Tournament on Thursday.
 
Due to the absence of two players in their lineup – including 64^th-ranked No. 1 singles player Ava Neuburger-Higby – the Roadrunners once again started at a disadvantage and were forced to forfeit one of the two doubles matches as well as at No. 6 singles.
 
MSU Denver players also moved up one or two spots in the lineup yet still put up highly-competitive matches, including wins by Isabel Heras at No. 1 and Gala Castello at No. 2.
 
"I'm proud of the ladies this season," MSU Denver coach Josh Graetz said. "They went through some adversity and came through stronger on the other side. We had a real chance to win that match at the end, but just came out short. I really like how we stayed aggressive until the end."

MSU Denver (12-10) has also been playing without its top doubles pairing – Neuburger-Higby and Heras – together, yet despite that came close in doubles, falling 7-5 at No. 1 (Castello and Marie Cool), which clinched the doubles point because of the forfeit at No. 3. Heras and Kayla Myburgh were tied 5-5 at No. 2 when their doubles match ended.
 
Once singles play started, Heras won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 and Castello won 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2.
 
Cool, who played No. 5 most of the season, lost in two sets, but the second set went to a tiebreaker before she fell 8-6. Myburgh, battling for the No. 6 position most of the season, also played to a second-set tiebreaker before losing at No. 4. And Monica Guarin, the Roadrunners' No. 6 player most of the year, lost 6-2, 6-2 at No. 5.
 
Castello finished her career at 30-23 in singles, including 10-8 this year by winning seven of her final 10 matches.

"It's an end of a great career for Gala," Graetz said. "To end her senior season on an individual win is great. I'm very happy for her."