Boise State’s Lilian Poling Wins USTA National Indoor Mixed Doubles Championship

BOISE, Idaho - Boise State's Lilian Poling — a junior on the women's tennis team — won the 2018 United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Indoor Mixed Doubles Championship while playing with her younger brother Karl — a freshman at Princeton University — over the winter break, Dec. 26-31 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

The victory is a major milestone in the young careers of Lilian and Karl, who both have aspirations of playing professionally one day. They come from a tennis family, their father and mentor Jim Poling is the current head coach of the Army West Point men's tennis team.

The duo went undefeated winning four straight matches to claim the national title in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The No. 2 seeded Poling team claimed the title over the No. 1 seeds of Justin Natale and Anna Ulyashchenko. Natale is an alumnus of Brown University while Ulyashchenko is a senior at Wake Forest University.

The Polings advanced to the final with three straight sweeps in the earlier rounds winning all in two sets. They defeated the No. 4 seeded tandem of Marcella Cruz and Brett Winters 6-2, 6-4 during the semifinals to move into the championship match.

USTA National Indoor Championships, Mixed Doubles

32. #2 Poling/Poling, Bye
16. #2 Poling/Poling def. Kaitlyn Carnicella/Eric Globerman, 6-4, 6-2
QF. #2 Poling/Poling def. Salifu Mohammed/Shawnte Beale, 6-3, 6-4
SF. #2 Poling/Poling def. #4 Marcella Cruz/Brett Winters, 6-2, 6-4
F. #2 Poling/Poling def. #1 Justin Natale/Anna Ulyashchenko, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3

Boise State Athletics

Boise State’s Lilian Poling Wins USTA National Indoor Mixed Doubles Championship

USTA National Indoor Championships, Mixed Doubles

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