Saints win third-consecutive UMAC women's tennis postseason title
DULUTH, Minn.---In 2018, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women's tennis championship match saw the College of St. Scholastica and the University of Northwestern battle into near-darkness before the Saints emerged 5-4 to claim the first-ever automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA tournament for the UMAC.
The 2019 title match was a different story, though, as the top-seeded Saints made quick work of the No. 2 Eagles winning 8-1 to claim a third-consecutive UMAC tournament title and the chance to represent the UMAC at the NCAA regional next week.
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The Saints jumped out to an early lead taking all three doubles matches with Sara Wennerstrand and Katelyn Rice having to battle at the No. 2 spot for a 8-5 win over Shawna Spears and Mafee Rinta.
Up 3-0, the Saints continued to roll early into singles as Wennerstrand surrendered just on point in a 6-0, 6-1 decision at No. 2 singles to give the Saints a 4-0 lead. At No. 5 singles, Brynne Hauer earned the deciding fifth win as she defeated Gracie Lebrun 6-1, 6-2.
Rice added to the Saints' lead when she won at No. 3 singles 6-1, 6-2 over Spears. Following that decision, though, the Saints were pushed to finish off the Eagles. At No. 1 singles, the Eagles' Nikki Paskewitz jumped out to a one-set lead taking the first 6-2 over Elise Hauer. The next set Elise Hauer won 6-2 ot even the score before earning a 10-2 decision in the tiebreaker.
With a 7-0 lead, Elizabeth Fink earned the Saints' final win in a long battle with Rachel Lukarilla at No. 4 singles. Fink won 6-3 in the opening set before falling 7-5 in the second. She then finished with a 10-5 victory in the third set.
The lone win for the Eagles was the final match to be decided with Rinta defeating Madilyn Jankila at No. 6 singles. Rinta battled for a 7-5 win to open the match before Jankila took the second 6-4. Eventually, Rinta went on to win 10-3 in the tiebreaker.
The Eagles end another solid campaign with a 15-10 overall record, while the Saints will play on improving to 17-6 on the year. The Saints will learn their postseason fate after 11 a.m. Monday on ncaa.com.
Playoff Schedule
Semifinal - Wednesday, May 1
No. 1 St. Scholastica def. No. 4 Minnesota Morris, 8-1 |
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CSS Recap |
UMM Recap |
No. 2 Northwestern def. No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior, 7-2 |
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UNW Recap |
UWS Recap |
Championship Match - Saturday, May 4
No. 1 St. Scholastica def. No. 2 Northwestern, 8-1 |
Box Score |
CSS Recap |
UNW Recap |
All tournament information including scores, recaps, team information and more can be found on the UMAC Women’s Tennis Tournament page. Keep up with all of the tournament action on Twitter and Instagram using #UMACchamp.
2019 Tournament Page