The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Collins/Sun finish as runner-up at NCAA Women’s Tennis Doubles Championship
05.28.2021 | Women's Tennis
Freshman duo conclude remarkable season with hard-fought three-set loss in Friday’s final.
ORLANDO, Fla. — The University of Texas freshman duo of Kylie Collins and Lulu Sun dropped a hard-fought 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 1-0 (10-8) decision to No. 4 Makenna Jones and Elizabeth Scotty from North Carolina on Friday afternoon in the finals of the NCAA Doubles Championships at the USTA National Campus. After helping the Longhorns claim the NCAA team title last Saturday, Collins and Sun became the first Texas pair to reach the NCAA doubles final since Cristina Moros and Farley Taylor in 1996.
Collins and Sun, No. 19 in the ITA's (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) latest national rankings, conclude the season at 26-5 overall in doubles. The duo posted a 13-4 mark against nationally-ranked opponents, including a 5-1 record against opponents ranked in the Top 10.
Collins and Sun jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, before Jones and Scotty reeled off three straight games to even the set at 3-3. Both teams held serve over the following four games. Serving at 5-5, the Longhorns duo rallied from down 30-40 to hold serve on a deciding point. Jones and Scotty held serve on a deciding point to force a tiebreaker. In the breaker, Collins and Sun won the first two points. Jones and Scotty responded by winning five straight points to build a 5-2 cushion and cruised to a 7-3 victory.
Tied at 1-1 in the second set, Collins and Sun rallied from down 15-40 to earn a service break on a deciding point and then held serve on a deciding point to grab a 3-1 lead. The UNC duo reeled off three straight games to take a 4-3 advantage, but Collins and Sun answered by holding serve, breaking Jones and Scotty and then holding serve again to close out the 6-4 second-set win.
Playing a 10-point super tiebreaker as the third set, the Longhorns jumped out to a 2-0 lead. North Carolina won five of the next six points to grab a 5-3 lead, but Collins and Sun won back-to-back points to even the breaker at 5-5. Jones and Scotty claimed back-to-back points to build a 7-5 cushion, and Collins and Sun responded by winning three straight points for an 8-7 lead. From there, Jones and Scotty reeled off three consecutive points to finish the match and seal the championship.
NCAA Women's Doubles Championship
Finals – May 28
#4 Makenna Jones/Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) def. #19 Kylie Collins/Lulu Sun (UT), 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 1-0 (10-8)
