TECH, HSU ADVANCE TO GAC WOMEN'S TENNIS SEMIFINALS
By: Eric Moyer, GAC Communications
BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Tech and Henderson State took different paths to victory at the Great American Conference Women's Tennis Championships. The Golden Suns swept past Ouachita, 5-0, while the Reddies outlasted Southern Nazarene, 5-4, in a marathon match.
Arkansas Tech (16-7) picked up its first two points with 8-0 victories at the No. 3 and No. 2 doubles spots. Annabel Rowlands and Kami Ward scored the opening point, followed closely by Haeleigh Long and Vandella Suico. The Golden Suns secured the third doubles point when Macarena Sedano Acosta and Teresa Sanchez put away Mallory Tabler and Kendra Densmore, 8-4, by winning the final four games of the set.
Ward and Rowlands secured the victory as each tallied straight-set wins. Rowlands registered a 6-0, 6-0 win against Beth Naylor at No. 4 singles. Ward closed out the contest by beating Polina Tsymbalova 6-1, 6-2.
The Golden Suns will face Harding at 2 p.m. on Friday. The two met on Monday where the Lady Bisons won, 8-1.
The Reddies (6-8) scored their first GAC Championship victory as they held off a furious comeback attempt from the Crimson Storm (2-12).
Henderson State gained a 2-1 advantage after the doubles portion as Maddie McRae and Lauren Miller notched an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles and Lorraine Banimataku and Mariah Bartlett scored an 8-6 victory at No. 2 doubles.
The Reddies picked up the opening two singles points for a 4-1 lead as Bartlett beat Trista LeGrande in straight sets at No. 5 and Annie Shannon bested Polina Chala, 6-4, 6-3, at the No. 1 spot.
Southern Nazarene picked up three straight wins to push to match to its limit. Henderson State's Thea Minor won the opening set against Noelia Gomez and had a chance to serve for the match. Gomez staved off elimination and came back to win the second set in a tiebreak. In the third set, Minor claimed victory by breaking Gomez in the final game for a 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 win.
The Reddies will square off with top-seeded Southeastern Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. on Friday. In the regular season, the Savage Storm earned a narrow 5-4 win on April 1.