Khirin Qualifies for NCAA Championships

ANN ARBOR – No. 9 Nicole Khirin punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships Saturday after claiming her fourth-straight win in the ITA Sectional quarterfinals at Michigan's Varsity Tennis Center.
 
Khirin faced Houston's No. 109 Santa Strombacha and defeated the Cougar in straight sets (6-1, 7-6(6)) to advance to the semifinals. Smetannikov fell to Oklahoma's No. 16 Julia Garcia-Ruiz (6-1, 6-3) and will now battle in the playoff 5-8 semifinals.
 
Khirin becomes the second Aggie to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships, joining No. 1 Mary Stoiana. The Individual Championships take place in Waco from Nov. 19-24 at the Hurd Tennis Center.
 
In Sunday's singles semifinals, Khirin faces Michigan's No. 45 Lily Jones, while Smetannikov takes on Ohio State's No. 50 Sydni Ratliff in the playoff 5-8 semifinals.
 
SATURDAY RESULTS
 
Singles
No. 9 Nicole Khirin (TAMU) def. No. 109 Santa Strombacha (UH) – 6-1, 7-6(6)
No. 16 Julia Garcia-Ruiz (OU) def. Daria Smetannikov (TAMU) – 6-1, 6-3
 
 
STATS & STREAMING
Fans can follow the match through live stats or watch the matches through the live stream.

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