ITA Regional Website
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Diana and
Denisse Favela recovered quickly from disapointing results in their semifinal singles matches on Saturday as they came together to dominate play in the doubles portion to take home the championship. The wins over Taylor and Marian qualify the twin sisters for the ITA Small College National Championships in Mobile, AL from October 13-16.
Diana Favela and
Denisse Favela made quite the splash this weekend at the annual ITA NAIA Regional Tournament which was hosted at Orchard Hills here in Grand Rapids. The two regrouped after the singles matches to team up together to win the doubles portion.
After each suffered a tough loss in the semifinals of the singles bracket, Diana and Denisse came together quickly and went up against the top doubles team from Taylor University. After dropping the opening game, the Favela's reeled off the next eight to advance to the championship match.
There they faced a team from Marian University and again DU fell behind 1-0 but they managed to recover quickly to post another convincing 8-1 win and take home the title. The win qualifies the duo for the ITA Small College Championships from October 13-16 which will take place in Mobile, AL.
Post Match Quotes - Head Coach
Patrick Grashorn
On recovering after tough semifinal singles losses -
"I believe both Diana and Denisse were a little disappointed after their singles matches. It would have been easy to let those losses affect their play in the doubles semi-final that started immediately after singles. They put the losses behind them and continued a dominating performance winning each 8-1."
On their on-court relationship as twin sisters -
"They are pretty exciting to watch. You wouldn't call their doubles strategy conventional but the combination of each of their strengths makes them a tough team to beat. I have never seen either of them get mad at the other on court or anywhere for that matter."
On Qualifying for Nationals -
"They will have a chance to play against the other regional winners from across the country. This is a first for our tennis program and a chance to gauge our talent against the top teams in the nation."
