SAU BESTS HENDERSON STATE; REACHES #theGAC FINAL FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2019
Courtesy MuleriderAthletics.com
LOWELL, Ark. – All-GAC First Team selection Greta Wallin knocked off the Great American Conference Player of the Year Mulan Kamoe in three sets, All-GAC Second Team selection Josie Holderbach clinched the match at line five and regular season league co-champ (2) Southern Arkansas defeated (3) Henderson State 4-2 indoors to advance to Saturday's GAC Tournament title match in Bentonville, Arkansas. The championship appearance is the second for the Muleriders and first since 2018-19.
The Muleriders improved to 20-4 on the season with its second win over Henderson State in a span of twenty days. SAU awaits the winner of (1) Southeastern Oklahoma and (5) Harding at noon on Saturday for the GAC Tournament Championship title.
Southern Arkansas grabbed the doubles point as Wallin and Annika Berrendorf, the #6-ranked doubles team in the country, won at line one over Mulan Kamoe and Kristina Kozlova 6-3, while Inna Serpukhova and Roksana Kokocha won 6-4 at line three defeating Marianna Murcia and Haarini Balakrishnan.
SAU took a 2-0 lead as Amelie Gindl earned a straight-sets victory over HSU's Angela Georgieva 6-1, 6-3 at line three. The Reddies claimed back-to-back singles wins two minutes apart at lines two and four to tie the match at 2-2.
The next two points belonged to the Muleriders as Wallin put away Kamoe 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 at the top line in a match that reached 2:44, before Holderbach dispatched Murcia 6-0, 7-5 at line five to advance the Muleriders.