GREENSBURG, Pa. - The top-seeded and 38th-ranked IUP women's tennis team clinched a spot in the NCAA Division II round of 16 with a 4-0 win over Slippery Rock in the Atantic Region Championship final on Saturday night at the Greensburg Racquet Club.
With the win, the Crimson Hawks advanced to the program's 10th NCAA Division II Championships in the last 12 years. IUP will head to Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida and open championship play on Tuesday, May 17.
This is the Hawks fourth regional title since 2017. They won an outright regional championship and advanced to their first national quarterfinal in 2021.
This was IUP's 13th straight victory as they improved to 18-7 overall. The Hawks are 21-13 all-time in the NCAA tournament, including 19-0 in regional play.
It was also IUP's third win over Slippery Rock this season. The Hawks defeated SRU 6-1 on April 20 to clinch the PSAC West regular title, then 4-1 on April 30 in the PSAC Championship match.Â
Joanna Stralka clinched the title with a 6-3, 6-2 win at the No. 2 spot over Slippery Rock's Adriana Gonzalez Sanchez.
Lydia Vlachou won the first singles match at 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 5 and 51st-ranked
Karolin Kirchtag won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1.
The Hawks picked up the doubles point with wins at the Nos. 2 and 3 spots. Kirchtag and
Katy Graydon won 6-1 at No. 2 while Vlachou and
Laura Dunarova won 6-4 at No. 3.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's tennis on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPtennis.
