IUP earned a berth in the PSAC women's tennis championship match for the first time in school history with a 5-1 victory over host Bloomsburg in a semifinal match Thursday.
The Crimson Hawks will take on four-time defending conference champion California in the finals Saturday at 9 a.m. at Bloomsburg. IUP has won nine straight matches and is 19-5 on the season. The Vulcans moved into the final with a 5-0 win over West Chester.
IUP opened the match against the Huskies by taking two of three doubles matches but not before
Katie Eaton (Halesowen, United Kingdom/Haybridge) and
Tabtip Louhabanjong (Krabi, Thailand/West Anchorage (AK)) survived a huge scare at No. 1 against Emily Palko and Kristi Twardziak. The duo saved three match points and then trailed 4-1 in the tiebreaker before pulling out a 9-8 (7-4) win.
Emilia Osborne (Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom/Cedars ) and
Alex Ballard (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) provided the other doubles point for the Crimson Hawks with an 8-4 win over Sarah Fisher and Natalie Greenholt.
Needing three singles wins to clinch the match, IUP got them relatively easily at numbers two, three and four, including a 6-2, 6-1 win by Louhabanjong over Laura Sullivan that clinched the match for the Crimson Hawks.
Osborne defeated Fisher and
Ranvita Mahto (Burlington, ON/Robert Bateman) downed Danielle Walsh, both by scores of 6-0, 6-1, to help send IUP onto the championship match.
Ranked third in the latest NCAA Atlantic Region poll, the Crimson Hawks have put themselves in position to earn a host spot for one of the two regional tournaments which will be held May 5-7.
Singles
No. 1 - Emily Palko (BU) led
Katie Eaton (Halesowen, United Kingdom/Haybridge) 6-3, 1-3 (DNF)
No. 2 -
Tabtip Louhabanjong (Krabi, Thailand/West Anchorage (AK)) (IUP) d. Laura Sullivan 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 -
Emilia Osborne (Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom/Cedars ) (IUP) d. Sarah Fisher 6-0, 6-1
No. 4 -
Ranvita Mahto (Burlington, ON/Robert Bateman) (IUP) d. Danielle Walsh 6-0, 6-1
No. 5 - Kristi Twardziak (BU) led
Kelly McBryan (Grove City/Grove City) 6-4, 2-4 (DNF)
No. 6 - Natalie Greenholt (BU) led
Alex Ballard (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) 6-3, 5-0 (DNF)
Doubles
No. 1 - Eaton/Louhabanjong (IUP) d. Palko/Twardziak 9-8 (7-4)
No. 2 - Sullivan/Walsh (BU) d. Mahto/McBryan 8-2
No. 3 - Osborne/Ballard (IUP) d. Fisher/Greenholt 8-4
