WOMEN'S TENNIS FALLS TO TOP-SEEDED OWLS IN CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
ST. LOUIS – An upset bid against No. 1-seed and eighth-ranked William Woods on Saturday at the Unaffiliated Group Tournament (AMC/HAAC) was not in the cards for the Missouri Baptist University women's tennis team, but similar to the dual match earlier in the month, the Spartans were extremely competitive in a 5-0 loss.
In doubles, William Woods jumped out to a quick lead with an 8-0 win at the No. 2 slot and an 8-2 win at the No. 3 slot.
Tamara Klimek and
Krista Tyson nearly pulled off the upset of the No. 4-ranked doubles team in the ITA Zlata Shuraeva and Ana Zavala. The Spartans held a lead during the No. 1 doubles match, but were unable to hold on in the 9-7 defeat.
To secure the team win and an automatic bid to the NAIA Championship on the line, WWU needed to win just 2 out of the 5 singles matches. Both Klimek (No. 1 singles) and
Thais Castiglioni were ahead in their individual matches, which would have given the Spartans a chance to prolong the match, however, the Owls' No. 5 and No. 6 quickly got wins with 6-2, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-0 decisions, respectively.
With the loss, MBU dropped just its fourth match of the year and third to a team ranked in the NAIA's Top 10. The Spartans are 14-4 overall and will await the final Top 25 poll on Tuesday, May 1 to see if they can climb the rankings enough to secure an at-large berth to the 24-team NAIA National Championship in May.
