BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Southeastern Oklahoma State overcame three deficits to earn a 4-3 win against top-seeded Arkansas Tech and capture the 2023 Great American Conference Women’s Tennis Championship title.
The Savage Storm (9-12) completed a successful defense of their title as they again emerged from the No. 3 seed and knocked off the top two seeds on their path to the title. They matched the accomplished of the 2016 and 2017 Savage Storm squads as the only GAC women’s team to repeat as tournament champions.
The Golden Suns (12-8) earned the doubles point when the teams of Daniela Baez and Sofia Beggiatto and Aastha Dargude and Lea Grinberg won on the No. 2 and No. 1 lines, respectively.
Southeastern leveled the contest when Chiara Matteodo picked up a straight-sets victory at No. 4. Tech retook the lead after Baez won her singles match. Vanessa Nitu earned Southeastern’s second singles win by besting Grinberg in straight sets.
Meaghan Butler put the Golden Suns on the brink as she overcame a first-set loss and beat Aswal Rhythm in three sets. The Savage Storm’s Michelle Markovic won her own three-set affair to level the contest for a third time.
The deciding match came down to Dargude and Sara Gonzalez. Gonzalez won the first set in a tiebreak. Dargude answered by taking the second set, 6-3. With the third set deadlocked at 4-4, Gonzalez held her serve then broke Dargude to secure the decisive point.
The Savage Storm will learn their NCAA postseason fate during Monday’s selection show. It streams on NCAA.com at 7:30 p.m..
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