Texas narrowly defeats Pepperdine to win 2021 NCAA women's title

"There was just so little between the two teams,” said Joffe.  “In a way, when Lulu won the final point, it was a little bit of disbelief, elation and disbelief, because... you can throw together six of the best players out there in the country and you're just guaranteed nothing.

"I just had a good sense that, and again, this is not a scientific word, but the juju of this team was very good. And I felt like one way or the other, we'd get over the line today. But the idea that we'd actually get to the final with the obstacles and the difficulty and the inexperience, it really is a pretty remarkable dream.”

Texas won both singles three-setters on the day, including a 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 decision for tournament Most Outstanding Player Peyton Stearns over Ashley Lahey on Court 1. But it may never have gotten that far, had the Longhorns not saved two match points at the No. 1 doubles spot earlier in the dual match.  

The Waves took No. 2 doubles with ease, and were on the verge of taking the opening point before Sun and Kylie Collins stormed back to deny Lahey and Lisa Zaar on Court 1. The freshman duo at No. 1 would go on to win a 7-3 tiebreak, putting the doubles point on the racquets of another freshman duo—Stearns and Charlotte Chavatipon—at No. 3. Again it would be Texas in a tiebreak, this one 7-5, as they escaped with the early advantage. 

Pepperdine responded by taking four of the six opening singles sets, but Texas extended its lead to 2-0 with a dominant win by Chavatipon at No. 4. From there, the Waves began to gain momentum as Jessica Failla and Zaar leveled the overall count with wins on Court 2 and 5. Failla, a grad student from Ramona, Calif., defeated senior Anna Turati in that second singles match, with the Italian the lone senior in a Longhorns singles lineup that featured five freshmen.

As the tension crescendoed, a love hold from Sun righted the ship for 6-5. Once again serving to stay alive, Pachkaleva fired an ace at 15-all... but that would prove to be her final point of the night. At 30-all, Pepperdine missed a potential winner by inches to bring up match point, and Sun brought the title to Texas by reeling off the match's final three points.

“Honestly, at the end I was almost going to cramp," Sun said, when asked if she allowed herself to think about the fact that her match would decide the national title. "So I was just [trying to] survive the last few games and just throw everything I have. And I guess it worked.”

Added Joffe: "There was just so little between the two teams and that our freshmen, who it came down to in the end in Peyton and Lulu, were able to come up with the goods is truly remarkable.”