CHARLESTON, W.Va. - For the first time in program history, the IUP women's tennis team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament as the Crimson Hawks defeated Charleston 4-2 Tuesday afternoon at the Schoenbaum Tennis Courts.
The Crimson Hawks pushed through the Atlantic Region and on to the final NCAA championship site for the ninth time in program history, all since 2011. This is the first year the final site will consist of eight teams, as normally two teams from each region advanced. IUP has never been among the final eight tournament teams.
IUP improved to 20-12 all-time in the NCAA tournament, including 18-0 in regional play since 2011.
It was considered an upset by small proportions, as Charleston was the top seed in the Atlantic Region and served as the host, while the Crimson Hawks were the No. 2 seed in the region. It also served as a bit of revenge for IUP with Charleston winning the regular season meeting 4-3 in West Virginia on April 10. That was the only top-10 regional loss for the Hawks this season.
IUP earned the doubles point by cruising to wins at the Nos. 2 and 3 spots.
Karolin Kirchtag and
Katy Graydon picked up their 13th straight victory with a 6-1 win at the two, while
Joanna Stralka and
Laura Dunarova earned a 6-3 win at three. IUP's top paring of
Idoia Huerta and
Lydia Vlachou were held to a 5-5 unfinished draw with the 25th-ranked team of Julia Lif and Prinkle Singh.
Vlachou gave IUP a 2-0 lead by picking up a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles. Charleston then fought back, as Prinkle and Alexiann Drouin grabbed wins at the top two singles spots to tie the match at 2-2.
Graydon broke the tie at No. 4 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) victory before Dunarova clinched the match at No. 6 with a 6-2, 6-2 win.
The victory was the seventh straight for the Crimson Hawks, who head to the quarterfinals in Sur prise, Arizona with a 15-3 overall record.
Up next
The final eight regional champions will be reseeded 1-8 by the national committee and announced ahead of next week's finals, which run May 19-21 at Surprise, Arizona. The Pacific West Conference and the City of Surprise will serve as hosts.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's tennis on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPtennis.
