MOBILE, ALA. -- All season Fresno Pacific tennis coach Neil Castro has been touting his talented freshmen. On Saturday, they justified that praise.

Sara Celma and Cristina Valladares, both from Spain, won the two singles matches Fresno Pacific needed to claim the NAIA Championship 5-2 over six -time defending champion Auburn Montgomery at Mobile Tennis Center.

The national title provided equal measures of revenge and validation for Castro's Sunbirds, who had lost to AUM in the national final for four straight seasons.

The women's national championship was Fresno Pacific's third this school year, joining volleyball and men's swimming. FPU was national runner-up in men's tennis and third in women's swimming.

"We talked about this match all season," said Sunbirds senior Vanessa Heroux, a transfer from Fresno State. "We predicted this would be our year."

The clinching singles wins by Celma (6-2, 6-4 over Parija Maloo) and Valladares (6-4, 6-3 over Morgane Zowczak) came a couple of hours after the pair combined for an 8-6 doubles victory that helped FPU take a 3-0 lead entering singles play.

That doubles lead was fueled by the No. 1 team of seniors Heroux and Katia Sabate, who fought off match points in the tiebreak to win 9-8 (7).

That left the Sunbirds just two singles wins from their first national title. But winning two of six matches proved to be a difficult proposition. Heroux and Yulia Blinovskaya lost, while #Erika Januskova# and Katia Sabate were locked in tight matches.

"We needed both of those [singles wins]," Castro said. "Those two freshmen have been tough for us all year and they were huge today."

"And our No. 3 doubles team [senior Blinovskaya and freshman Januskova] really came through. We had never won No. 3 doubles [against Auburn Montgomery.]

"We've always been good at the top the past four years but this team has depth we've never had. I knew this team had the potential to be our best team yet. Come to find out, it was. Top to bottom, the best team. Winning teams are always good 1 through 6.

"This was huge for our program. Four years in a row losing to [AUM], to get over the hump and finally win."

Castro couldn't help looking ahead.

"With our freshmen, having them for three more years, I have to find a way not to screw it up."

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WOMEN
Fresno Pacific d. Auburn Montgomery (Ala.), 5-2
DOUBLES:
Katia Sabate/Vanessa Heroux (FPU) d. Ana Veselinovic/Morgane Zowczak, 9-8 (7);
Sara Celma/Cristina Valladeres (FPU) d. Nathalie Sienkob/Kveta Hajkova, 8-6;
Erika Januskova/Yulia Blinovskaya (FPU) d. Whitney Byrd / Parija Maloo, 9-7.

SINGLES:
Katia Sabate (FPU) vs. Ana Veselinovic (AUM), 7-6 (6), 0-2 DNF;
Sara Celma (FPU) d. Parija Maloo, 6-2, 6-4;
Cristina Valladeres (FPU) d. Morgane Zowczak, 6-4, 6-3;
Whitney Byrd (AUM) d. Vanessa Heroux, 6-2, 6-3;
Erika Januskova (FPU) vs. Nathalie Sienkob (AUM), 5-7, 2-4 DNF;
Kveta Hajkova (AUM) d. Yulia Blinovskaya, 6-2, 6-1.