Completed Event: Women's Tennis at Northern Arizona on March 20, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 7
W Tennis
at Northern Arizona
L 0-7
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Monday, May 20
Stillwater, Okla.
Grand Canyon
vs
NCAA Singles Championship
Photo by: Ricky Bassman
Puehse's thrilling comeback falls short at NCAAs
5/20/2024 8:55:00 PM | Women's Tennis
5th-year Lope wins program's 1st set in NCAA singles tournament
STILLWATER, Okla. - Â All good things must come to an end. However, what Natasha Puehse did for Grand Canyon women's tennis over the past five years, was much more than good.
Three WAC Player of the Year awards, four All-WAC first-team awards and three NCAA tournament team appearances were impressive enough. Puehse will go down as one of the best players in program history. She topped it off in her final season as the first Lope ever to make the NCAA Singles Championship, where Texas A&M's Mia Kupres defeated Puehse 6-2, 5-7, 6-0 in the first round Monday.
The round-of-64 matchup was not an easy one, as Puehse was matched up with the No. 45-ranked singles player in the country. Kupres, a sophomore, helped the Aggies win the national championship Sunday and is part of the nation's No. 7 doubles team.
In Monday night's first set, Puehse saw firsthand the skill and experience on the other side of the net and was unable to find a rhythm. Kupres won each of her service games in the first set, jetting out to a 6-2 win.
Set 2Â seemed to be heading in the same direction with a quick 5-1 lead for Kupres, putting her one game away from the second round. Puehse decided in that moment that she was not quite ready to finish her collegiate career. For the first time all night, Puehse achieved a service break, a massive momentum builder. She did not look back, winning the ensuing five games to take the set 7-5 and even the match.
The third set went to Kupres 6-0, moving her along to the round of 32. However, Puehse's second set will not soon be forgotten, as she did the unthinkable by coming back to force a third set.
"Proud doesn't even begin to cover it," GCU head coach Katarina Adamovic wrote Monday night in a post about her fifth-year graduate. "Thank you, Tash, for everything you've done for GCU and our tennis program. You've left a legacy behind! Forever a baller!!"
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Three WAC Player of the Year awards, four All-WAC first-team awards and three NCAA tournament team appearances were impressive enough. Puehse will go down as one of the best players in program history. She topped it off in her final season as the first Lope ever to make the NCAA Singles Championship, where Texas A&M's Mia Kupres defeated Puehse 6-2, 5-7, 6-0 in the first round Monday.
The round-of-64 matchup was not an easy one, as Puehse was matched up with the No. 45-ranked singles player in the country. Kupres, a sophomore, helped the Aggies win the national championship Sunday and is part of the nation's No. 7 doubles team.
In Monday night's first set, Puehse saw firsthand the skill and experience on the other side of the net and was unable to find a rhythm. Kupres won each of her service games in the first set, jetting out to a 6-2 win.
Set 2Â seemed to be heading in the same direction with a quick 5-1 lead for Kupres, putting her one game away from the second round. Puehse decided in that moment that she was not quite ready to finish her collegiate career. For the first time all night, Puehse achieved a service break, a massive momentum builder. She did not look back, winning the ensuing five games to take the set 7-5 and even the match.
The third set went to Kupres 6-0, moving her along to the round of 32. However, Puehse's second set will not soon be forgotten, as she did the unthinkable by coming back to force a third set.
"Proud doesn't even begin to cover it," GCU head coach Katarina Adamovic wrote Monday night in a post about her fifth-year graduate. "Thank you, Tash, for everything you've done for GCU and our tennis program. You've left a legacy behind! Forever a baller!!"
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
Women's Wins the WAC Title
Monday, April 21