http://miac-online.org/news/2013/5/4/WTEN_0504131729.aspx
ST. PETER, Minn. -- The two semifinal matches at the 2013 MIAC
Women's Tennis Playoffs were closely contested and entertaining
Saturday afternoon on the Gustavus campus in St. Peter, Minn.
Fourth-seeded St. Thomas pulled off the biggest stunner of the
tournament, knocking off top-seeded St. Catherine in one semifinal.
No. 2 Carleton beat the host school, No. 3 Gustavus, in the other
to set up a Tommies vs. Knights showdown in the championship
match.
No. 4 St. Thomas used four wins in singles play to knock off the
top-seeded and regular-season champion Wildcats, which entered the
tournament a perfect 10-0 against conference competition. In the
other match, Carleton took a slight edge in doubles play, then got
great singles play to cement a 5-1 and a trip to the title match.
The Knights are the tournament's defending champion, while St.
Thomas has not won a MIAC Playoff title under the tournament's
current format.
No. 4 St. Thomas 5, No. 1 St. Catherine 3 | Box
Score |
The top-seeded Wildcats appeared to be in good shape following
doubles play, as they won two of the three matches. However, the
Tommies used tremendous singles play and four impressive wins to
reach the five points needed to claim the 5-3 win, delivering a
stunning upset and a trip to the title match in the process.
SCU got a dramatic 8-6 win at No. 1 doubles from the tandem of
Victoria Bravo and Kylie Ketcho, and Angie Lorenzen and Mikinzee
Salo added an 8-2 win at No. 3 doubles for the regular-season
champs as well. UST avoided a doubles sweep with an 8-5 win at No.
2 doubles from Kara Lefsrud and Bridget Noack.
That doubles point helped UST take some momentum into singles play,
where Lefsrud and Noack were also victorious. Lefsrud got a 6-4,
6-2, win at No. 3 singles and Noack earned a 6-0, 6-3, win at No.
4. Bravo continued her impressive performance with a 6-3, 6-3, win
for St. Kate's in the top singles spot, but UST's Mary Allen won a
three-set thriller - 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 - at No. 2 singles to put the
Tommies a point from the upset. Rachel Wright grabbed the decisive
point at No. 5 singles with a 6-1, 6-2, victory.
No. 2 Carleton 5, No. 3 Gustavus 1 | Box
Score |
The Knights continued their MIAC Playoff title defense with their
5-1 win over host Gustavus. Carleton won two of the three singles
matches and proved clutch in singles play, as a third set was
required at both No. 1 and No. 2, with the Knights coming up the
victor in both to book a trip to the title match.
Bridget Doyle and Anne Lombardi got an 8-3 win for the Knights at
No. 1 doubles, and Katherine Greenberg and Molly Hemes won 8-5 at
No. 3. Heather Annis and Mallory Shellum got Gustavus on the board
with a narrow 8-6 victory at No. 2 doubles to make it a one-point
match heading into singles play.
Carleton extended its lead when Mikayla Becich finished off a 6-3,
6-1, win at No. 3 singles, then got its two three-set wins to
finish off the victory, with both players bouncing back from 0-1
deficits. Doyle scored a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, win at No. 1 singles and
Lombardi earned a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, victory at No. 2 singles to punch
the Knights' ticket to the championship match.
Knights meet Tommies for title
The semifinal results set up a championship match between the
second-seeded and defending Playoff champion Knights, and the
fourth-seed, upstart Tommies, who have now won two matches in 24
hours to reach the title match. The championship will begin
outdoors on Gustavus' Brown Tennis Courts at 7 p.m., but will
likely move indoors due to darkness with sunset estimated at 8:24
p.m. The championship match could be a classic, as Carleton earned
a dramatic 5-4 win against UST during the regular season on April
21.
Gustavus is the host school, and will provide live results for
Saturday's championship match. Links to live scores, as well as
complete schedules, results, stats, recaps, photos, team
information and more can be found on the 2013
MIAC Men's Tennis Playoffs web site. Fans can also connect and
interact during the tournament on the MIAC's Facebook page, and on
Twitter (@MIAConline)
using the hashtags #MIACtennis and #MIACPlayoffs.
2013 MIAC Women's Tennis Playoffs
Quarterfinals: Friday, May 3, 2013
No. 3 Gustavus 5, No. 6 Bethel 0 | Box
Score | Photos: GAC
- BU
|
No. 4 St. Thomas 5, No. 5 St. Olaf 2 | Box
Score | Photos: UST
- STO
|
Semifinals: Saturday, May 4, 2013
No. 1 St. Catherine vs. No. 4 St. Thomas | Box
Score | Photos: MIAC -
UST
- SCU
|
No. 2 Carleton 5, No. 3 Gustavus 1 | Box
Score | Photos: MIAC -
CAR
- GAC
|
Championship: Saturday, May 4, 2013
No. 2 Carleton vs. No. 4 St. Thomas | 7 p.m. | Live
Results |
*Playoff Champion earns the MIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA
Tournament
**All matches will be hosted outdoors on the Brown courts if
weather permits. Should inclement weather occur, matches will be
moved indoors to the Swanson courts.