INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's tennis team will host Slippery Rock in the semifinal round of the 2021 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships this Wednesday at Maple Street Courts. Match time is currently set for 3:30 p.m. 

Winners of the PSAC West regular season title, IUP enters with a 12-3 overall record, including 6-0 in the division. Slippery Rock is 8-5 and 5-1. 

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Last Time Out
>> The Crimson Hawks last played Tuesday, April 20, defeating West Liberty by a score of 6-1 at home. It was IUP's fifth straight victory. 

How They Got Here
>> The Crimson Hawks won the PSAC West regular season championship with a 6-0 record and earned the No. 1 seed in the division.
>> With that No. 1 seed, IUP earned a quarterfinal bye and hosting rights for the semifinals and championship rounds.
>> Slippery Rock earned the No. 2 seed with a 5-1 divisional record. SRU advanced after Mercyhurst bowed out of the tournament due to injury issues. 

The IUP Lineup
Singles (Flight, Name, Flight Record)
1. Karolin Kirchtag, 7-5
2. Idoia Huerta, 6-6
3. Katy Graydon, 11-1
4. Lydia Vlachou, 10-2
5. Laura Dunarova, 6-3
6. Abby Jones, 4-4

Doubles (Flight, Pairing, Flight Record)
1. Huerta/Vlachou, 13-1
2. Kirchtag/Graydon, 12-1
3. Dunarova/Jones, 6-4

Notes
>> IUP is making the program's 15th all-time PSAC tournament appearance, including its 10th straight dating back to 2011. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 PSAC Championships were canceled.
>> The Crimson Hawks are seeking their third conference title and first since 2018. IUP made eight straight appearances in the championship match, finishing as runners-up each year from 2011-16 before winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.
>> This is the first time these teams have met in the PSAC postseason since 2012. IUP defeated SRU in the quarterfinal round in both 2011 and 2012.
>> IUP is 12-1 against Slippery Rock over the last decade, including an 11-match win streak from 2011-18. 
>> The Hawks won the regular season meeting at Slippery Rock by a score of 4-3. 
>> Slippery Rock boasts the nation's 23rd-ranked doubles team in Lois Page and Adrianna Gonzalez, who are a combined 8-3 (7-1 in-region). 
>> IUP enters with two streaking doubles pairings at the Nos. 1 and 2 spots. Idoia Huerta and Lydia Vlachou are 13-1 at the top spot with 11 straight wins, while Karolin Kirchtag and Katy Graydon have a 12-1 record at two and also boast 11 consecutive victories. 
>> Graydon leads all Crimson Hawks with a 26-4 combined record, going 13-2 in each singles and doubles. She also went a combined 12-0 in divisional play.
>> Vlachou has 24 combined victories, including a 13-2 doubles record; Huerta has 21 combined wins, including 13 in doubles; and Kirchtag has 19 combined wins, with 12 coming in doubles play. 
>> IUP is currently ranked at the No. 2 spot in the ITA Atlantic Region (March 23) and is one of seven programs announced by the NCAA as "under consideration" for selection to the Division II championships (April 18). 
>> This year, four teams from the Atlantic Region will be selected to compete in the NCAA regional championships. The Crimson Hawks would earn an automatic berth in the NCAAs with a win in the conference title match.