Mobile, AL - The #9 University of the Cumberlands women's tennis team opened the 2026 NAIA National Championship with a dominant 4-0 sweep over No. 24 Bethel (Kan.) on Tuesday afternoon at the Mobile Tennis Center. With the win, the Patriots improve to 16-5 overall and advance to the second round of the national tournament.
UC set the tone early in doubles play, capturing the doubles point with victories on courts two and three. The duo of Haruna Kojima and Victoria Zarate cruised to a 6-0 win at No. 2 doubles, while Marina Nagai and Bryndis Rosa followed with a 6-1 victory at No. 3 doubles to secure the point for the Patriots.
In singles action, the Patriots continued their strong play by winning three straight matches in decisive fashion to clinch the team victory. YuFang Liu earned the first singles point of the day with a commanding 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles. Kojima followed shortly after at No. 4 singles, defeating Grace Dawes 6-0, 6-1. Mahiro Hara sealed the match for Cumberlands with a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 5 singles.
Three additional singles matches went unfinished after the Patriots secured the match-clinching fourth point.
Cumberlands will return to action on Wednesday, May 13, as the Patriots face eighth-ranked SCAD-Savannah in the second round of the NAIA National Championship. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT.
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