Boxscore

IUP took two of three tightly contested doubles matches and then clinched the win when Tabtip Louhabanjong (Krabi, Thailand/West Anchorage (AK)) finished off her singles victory, giving the Crimson Hawks a 5-3 win over Slippery Rock in a PSAC quarterfinal match at the Maple Street Courts.

IUP will travel to Bloomsburg to face the Huskies in a semifinal match Thursday at noon. West Chester, which blanked East Stroudsburg 5-0, will take on tournament favorite California in the other semifinal match. The winners play for the conference title Friday, also at Bloomsburg.

The Crimson Hawks, who have won eight in a row and are 18-5 on the season, are seeking their first PSAC championship in women's tennis.

IUP took the early lead in doubles when Louhabanjong and Katie Eaton (Halesowen, United Kingdom/Haybridge) edged Sarah Lynch and Janelle Krantz 9-7 and Emilia Osborne (Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom/Cedars ) and Alex Ballard (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) won a narrow 8-6 decision over Elisabeth Yetiskul and Sam Bruggeman.

Three of the five singles matches that were completed went three sets while Louhabanjong had to go to a tiebreaker in the first set before finishing off a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 win over Dunja Drmac at No. 2 that gave the Crimson Hawks their fifth point to wrap up the win.

Osborne rallied from a set down to defeat Yetiskul 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3 while Ranvita Mahto (Burlington, ON/Robert Bateman) coasted to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Janelle Krantz at No. 4. Lynch and Lauren Coggins won singles matches for Slippery Rock (14-6), and Drmac and Coggins combined for the Rock's lone point in doubles.

With the win, IUP strengthened its case to host one of the two NCAA Atlantic Regional tournaments May 1-3. The Crimson Hawks are No. 3 in the latest regional rankings and are hoping to gain the right to host an NCAA regional tournament for the first time in school history.