ARLINGTON, Texas – Tarleton State Tennis' goal of winning the Western Athletic Conference and getting to the NCAA Tournament has been fulfilled, sweeping in-state rival Abilene Christian 4-0 on Sunday at the Arlington Tennis Center to capture the program's first-ever conference tournament title.
The top-seeded Texans did not give up an opposing point in the 2026 WAC Tournament en route to the championship and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Tarleton State's win on Sunday gave Tarleton State Athletics its fourth conference tournament title at the Division I level (Baseball - 2024, Women's Golf - 2025, Women's Indoor Track & Field - 2026).
The Texans punched their ticket into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program's Division I era. They will be making their first appearance in the dance since their at-large bid to the Division II NCAA Tournament in 2017.
Senior Ximena Morales finished singles unbeaten in the WAC Tournament, not losing a game for the second straight match on Court 4. Morales was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and earned a spot on the All-WAC Tournament Team with senior Adeliya Mukhutdinova, sophomore Maria Castano and freshman Aya Ishii.
After clinching the semifinal match on Friday with her win on Court 2, Ishii followed suit on Sunday. Ishii's 18th singles win captured the title for the Texans with the team's fourth and final point of the afternoon.
"What a special moment. These girls mean a lot to me. They mean a lot to each other and mean a lot to Tarleton State University," head coach Elianne Douglas-Miron said. "We've been through a lot together and I'm really proud of them for getting this title."
Making its third conference tournament championship match in the last four years, Tarleton State was unfazed by the moment. The Texans worked fast in doubles, with Tarleton State's No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams taking the early lead. Morales and senior Emma Persson quickly took care of business on Court 2 with a 6-1 win that allowed Tarleton State to take momentum.
After getting a 4-3 lead on Court 3, Castano and sophomore Duru Kuscu took two consecutive points to go up by two games. The sophomore duo clinched the final game to come out with a 6-3 victory at No. 3 doubles and give the Texans a one-point lead in the match.
Winning 6-0, 6-0 in her semifinal singles match, Morales continued to bring heat in the championship match at No. 4 singles. The senior from Guatemala dominated the action in the first set and did not drop a game to ACU's Alice Klinteby. She put up an identical performance in the second set, winning the last six games to come out with another 6-0, 6-0 win in the WAC Tournament. Sunday was Morales' fourth singles match this season where she did not lose a single game.
"I've been working so hard for this moment," Morales said. "My journey (at Tarleton State) was tough at the beginning, but I was really hoping for this moment at the end. I made a lot of sacrifices and put in a lot of hard work to get here. I'm really proud of all the effort that took me to this moment."
Led by its four seniors all season long, the Texans once again relied on upperclassmen to get a firm grip on the advantage. Mukhutdinova controlled the action at No. 6 singles and won six of the first seven games to take the first set. The senior from Boca Raton, Florida, took an early four-game lead in set two and put the Texans up 3-0 with her 6-1, 6-2 win over ACU's Elsa Luthar.
After the seniors shined, it was a freshman's turn in the spotlight.
Ishii, the Texans' leader in singles wins, took charge early and took six of the first eight games to capture set one. ACU's Maria Cascos looked to mount a comeback by cutting the deficit to one game early in the second set, but Ishii had a different schedule in mind. Clinching Tarleton State's semifinal with her win at No. 2 singles, Ishii did it again on Sunday and came out with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Cascos to give her team its first WAC Championship.
"We know when Aya's on fire, she's dangerous and hard to stop," Douglas-Miron said. "She is really impressive. Her composure was really impressive, especially at the end when things got tight. I'm so proud of her and I'm excited to see where her career takes her."
Tarleton State's location and opponent for the 2026 NCAA Tournament will be revealed during the Selection Show on Monday, April 27 at 4:30 p.m. CT. The show will be broadcast live on NCAA.com.
