ERIE, Pa. – The Crimson Hawks will not be able to defend their conference title as they lost to Mercyhurst 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships Tuesday afternoon.
The back-to-back PSAC champions were making the program's ninth straight conference tournament appearance, the longest active streak in the Western Division.
The Crimson Hawks (9-13) played shorthanded, giving up matches at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles.
The Lakers (13-6) won the doubles point with a win at the top spot as
Katya Minchenkova and
Thais Andreotti lost to Kayla Frost and Sangeeta Roopan 6-4.
Julia Newman and
Mariana Valenzuela led 5-4 at No. 2 before being halted with Mercyhurst's win.
Andreotti picked up IUP's first point and made it a 2-1 match with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at the No. 3 singles spot.
Mariana Valenzuela dropped a 6-4, 6-2 decision at No. 4 and
Julia Newman fell 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2 to end the match.
Up next
The Crimson Hawks will await word from the NCAA on possible selection to the Division II Atlantic Region Championships. IUP was ranked seventh in the latest regional rankings and is seeking the program's ninth straight NCAA tournament selection.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's tennis on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPtennis.
