St. Paul – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced the 2013 All-Conference selections for women’s tennis on Wednesday afternoon, which granted a total of four Gustavus women the title of All-Conference, three of them in singles and four in doubles.  Heather Annis (Sr., Mapleton, Minn.), Mallory Shellum (Sr., St. James, Minn.), and Laurel Krebsbach (So., North Oaks, Minn.) were selected to the All-Conference Singles Team.  All three were also selected to the All-Conference Doubles Team along with Krebsbach’s doubles partner Annie Mahoney (So., Duluth, Minn.).

The Gustavus women’s tennis team concluded its 2013 season with a 5-1 loss to Carleton in the semifinals of the MIAC Playoffs.  The Gusties finished the season 13-8 overall and 8-2 in MIAC play, which was good enough to place third in the regular season standings.

Heather Annis

Mallory Shellum

In her first season consistently in the lineup, Heather Annis makes her first appearance on the All-Conference team.  Annis played four matches (1-3) at the No. 4 singles position before moving up to play five matches (1-4) at the No. 3 spot and eventually landing at the No. 2 position for 11 matches (8-3).  The senior registered a 7-3 mark within the MIAC and received the MIAC Player-of-the-Week honor for the week of April 23rd.

Mallory Shellum also makes her debut on the MIAC All-Conference Singles Team.  With a record of 14-12 on the season, Shellum recorded an 8-2 mark in conference play, emerging as the No. 3 singles player for the Gusties.  Shellum played a total of eight matches (4-4) at the No. 3 spot after playing one match (1-0) at No. 1, six matches (3-3) at No. 2, and four matches (3-1) at No. 4 singles.

Together, Annis and Shellum amassed a record of 16-10 overall and 8-2 in league play at the No. 2 position.  On the season, the senior duo played seven matches (4-3) in the lead spot and 14 matches (10-4) at the No. 2 position.

Laurel Krebsbach

Annie Mahoney

Just a sophomore, Laurel Krebsbach makes her second appearance on the All-Conference Singles Team.  Krebsbach finished the season 17-9 overall, which included a 9-1 mark in the MIAC.  The sophomore played every match and the No. 1 position, going 14-5 in dual matches.  In her first two seasons wearing the Three Crowns, Krebsbach has amassed a record of 35-23 overall with a conference record of 16-3.

After being named to the All-Conference Doubles Team with her partner Megan Gaard last season, Krebsbach is joined by Annie Mahoney on this year’s squad.  The sophomore tandem went 11-7 together on the season, including a 7-1 mark in the MIAC.  Krebsbach and Mahoney played together in a total of 14 dual matches, competing at the No. 1 position in all of them.

Bailey Abeyesekera

As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC announced the sixth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for women’s tennis. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.  This year’s Gustavus representative is Bailey Abeyesekera (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.).

MIAC Release

Sophomore Laurel Krebsbach (Photo Courtesy of Andrew Vold `14)

St. Peter, Minn. - The Gustavus Adolphus women’s tennis team concluded its 2013 season with a 5-1 loss at the hands of Carleton in the semifinals of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Women’s Tennis Playoffs on Saturday afternoon at the Swanson Tennis Center.  The Knights captured the opening two victories in doubles play and would not look back on their way to victory.  Gustavus finishes its season 13-8 overall (8-2 MIAC) while Carleton improves to 14-7 overall (9-1 MIAC) and advances to the MIAC Playoff Championship, which will take place in the Swanson Tennis Center at 7:00 p.m. Saturday night.

After falling at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, the Gusties leaned on the senior duo of Heather Annis (Sr., Mapleton, Minn.) and Mallory Shellum (Sr., St. James, Minn.) to earn a much-needed point at No. 2.  Annis and Shellum defeated the Carleton tandem of Grace Davis and Mikayla Becich by the score of 8-6 to bring the team score to 2-1.

The Gusties continued the momentum and came out strong in the singles competition.  Laurel Krebsbach (So., North Oaks, Minn.) set the tone with a 6-3 win in her first set.  Annis followed suit at No. 2 singles with a 6-4 win of her own in the opening frame.  However, neither player could fend off a raging comeback from the Knights.  Krebsbach could not hold off Bridget Doyle, who went on to take both the second and third sets by a score of 6-3 in a hard fought battle.  Meanwhile, Annis lost the second set 6-0 before dropping the third frame 6-3 to Anne Lombardi.

A loss at No. 3 singles by Shellum prior to the two losses by Krebsbach and Annis served as the other loss for the Gusties in the final count.  Shellum dropped her match by the score of 6-3, 6-1 to stamp the score as final at 5-1.

The Gusties finish their season with a record of 13-8 overall and 8-2 in the MIAC.

Box Score

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St. Peter, Minn. – Within a month that the Gustavus women’s tennis team played 70-percent of its regular season, sophomore Laurel Krebsbach (So., North Oaks, Minn.) led Gustavus to an overall record of 7-6 and an 7-1 mark within MIAC play.  For her effort, Krebsbach has been named the Gustavus Female Student-Athlete of the Month for April.

Playing at Head Coach Jon Carlson’s No. 1 singles position from the start of the season, Laurel Krebsbach displayed veteran leadership and poise on what is a young Gustavus team.  The sophomore went a combined 10-3 in singles with her only losses coming outside of conference play.  She went 8-0 against the conference foes and ended the month of April on an eight-match winning-streak.

In doubles, Krebsbach teamed up with Annie Mahoney (So, Duluth, Minn.) for 12 of her matches.  Overall, she went 8-5 in doubles and alongside Mahoney she posted an 8-4 record.  Just like in singles, Krebsbach finished the month strong, winning seven of her last eight doubles contests.

The North Oaks, Minn. native led the Gustavus women’s tennis team into the MIAC Playoffs with an overall record of 16-8 and an MIAC record of 9-1.  Gustavus earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament and defeated Bethel 5-0 in the first round.  Krebsbach took down Bethel’s Abby Edin 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles, and teamed up with Mahoney to defeat Edin and Lisa Scheevel 8-1 at No. 2 doubles.

Heather Annis came up with the deciding point with her win at No. 2 singles.

St. Peter, Minn. - The Gustavus Adolphus women’s tennis team defeated Bethel University by a final score of 5-0 on Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the 2013 Women’s Tennis Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs at the Swanson Tennis Center.  With the win, Gustavus improves to 13-7 (8-2 MIAC) and advances to the semifinals while Bethel concludes its season 9-9 (5-5 MIAC).

The Gusties opened the contest by sweeping the Royals in the doubles competition.  Heather Annis (Sr., Mapleton, Minn.) and Mallory Shellum (Sr., St. James, Minn.) started strong out of the gate as the first pair to finish.  The senior tandem did not concede a point in an 8-0 win at the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

The No. 1 doubles pair of Laurel Krebsbach (So., North Oaks, Minn.) and Annie Mahoney (So., Duluth, Minn.) quickly followed, recording an 8-1 win to extend the Gustavus lead to 2-0 before Sidney Dirks (Fy., St. Peter, Minn.) and Maddie Lindstrom (Fy., Lakeville, Minn.) finished the doubles sweep with an 8-4 win at the No. 3 position.

In singles, Laurel Krebsbach came out and took care of business early, defeating Abby Edin in straight sets 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 1 slot.  After taking the first set 6-2 at the No. 2 spot, Heather Annis opened up a 3-1 lead in the second set and played even from there to take a 6-4 win in the frame and secure the 5-0 victory.

The Gusties will be back in action again tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the Swanson Tennis Center when they take on the No. 2 seeded Carleton Knights in the semifinals of the MIAC Playoffs.

Box Score

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Release Courtesy of Matt Higgins – MIAC Assistant to the Executive Director

St. Peter, Minn. - Gustavus Adolphus College will once again be the site of the 2013 Men’s and Women’s MIAC Tennis Playoffs being held this weekend, Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, at the Brown Outdoor Courts.

On the men’s side, the two quarterfinal matches will simultaneously take place Friday at noon on the Gustavus campus, with No. 3 St. Thomas taking on No. 6 Saint Mary’s and St. Olaf meeting Saint John’s in a No. 4-5 collision. The two winners will advance to Saturday’s semifinals, which are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. The highest remaining seed will face Carleton and the lowest remaining seed will take on Gustavus. The two semifinal winners meet for the title at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, with the winner receiving the MIAC Playoff championship plaque and an automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships.

For the women’s tournament, the two quarterfinal matches will take place simultaneously on Friday at 3 p.m. on the Gustavus campus, with No. 3 Gustavus taking on No. 6 Bethel and St. Thomas meeting St. Olaf in a No. 4-5 collision. The two winners will advance to Saturday’s semifinals, which are scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. The highest remaining seed will face Carleton and the lowest remaining seed will take on St. Catherine. The two semifinal winners meet for the title at 4 p.m. Saturday, with the winner receiving the MIAC Playoff championship plaque and an automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championships.

In the event of rain or inclement weather, matches will be moved inside the adjacent Swanson Tennis Center.  All matches indoors will be played to decision.

Links to live scores, as well as complete schedules, results, stats, recaps, photos, team information and more can be found on the 2013 MIAC Women’s Tennis Playoffs web site. Fans can also connect and interact during the tournament on the MIAC’s Facebook page, and on Twitter (@MIAConline) using the hashtags #MIACtennis and #MIACPlayoffs.

Men’s Preview

Women’s Preview

Laurel Krebsbach picked up Gustavus’ only point on the afternoon.

Northfield, Minn. - The Gustavus Adolphus women’s tennis team concluded its regular season with an 8-1 loss at the hands of Carleton College on Sunday afternoon.  Laurel Krebsbach (So., North Oaks, Minn.) recorded the lone point for the Gusties at No. 1 singles.  With the loss, Gustavus drops to 12-7 overall and 8-2 in the MIAC.  Carleton improves to 12-7 overall and 8-1 in the MIAC.

After being swept in the doubles portion of the match, the Gusties showed life in the singles competition.  Laurel Krebsbach recorded a win at the No. 1 position, going down to the wire to win in the first set 7-5 and taking the second set 6-4.  Gustavus also battled in two more singles matches.

At No. 4 singles, Sidney Dirks (Fy., St. Peter, Minn.) took her counterpart to a third set.  However, Dirks could not pull it out and lost the match 3-6, 7-6, 8-10.  Likewise, Maddie Lindstrom (Fy., Lakeville, Minn.) went to a third set in her match at No. 5 singles, but could not grasp victory.  Lindstrom dropped her match 6-3, 6-7, 6-10.

Gustavus will next look forward to the MIAC Playoffs, set to be held in St. Peter on Friday, May 3rd and Saturday, May 4th.

Box Score

Heather Annis captured a dramatic win at No. 2 singles.

St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus women’s tennis team won its sixth consecutive match on Saturday afternoon with a 9-0 win over Saint Benedict at the Swanson Tennis Center.  With the win, the Gusties improve to 12-6 overall (8-1 MIAC).  The Blazers fall to 9-8 overall (3-6 MIAC).

The Gustavus women opened the day by sweeping the doubles competition 8-4 at No. 1 doubles, 8-4 at No. 2, and 8-3 at No. 3.  The Gusties then continued on to sweep the singles portion of the match as well, highlighted by a dramatic win by Heather Annis (Sr., Mapleton, Minn.) at No. 2 singles.

Annis came out to take the first set 6-1 before losing the second set 2-6, which sent her to a tiebreaker.  The tiebreaker went back-and-forth with neither player giving any ground until after the required 10 points to win the set.  It wasn’t until the 15th point that a winner was decided, with Annis taking the set by a count of 15-13.

The remaining five players won their respective matches in straight sets on the way to the 9-0 victory.  With their conference record of 8-1, the Gusties have solidified a spot in the 2013 MIAC Women’s Tennis Playoffs that will be held in St. Peter on Friday, May 3rd and Saturday, May 4th.

Gustavus has one remaining regular season match before postseason play.  That match is set for Sunday against Carleton in Northfield with a 2:00 p.m. start.

Box Score

St. Paul, Minn. - Following a weekend that featured four matches in three days, Gustavus women’s tennis senior Heather Annis (Sr., Mapleton, Minn.) has been named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Women’s Tennis Athlete-of-the-Week.  Annis played an integral role in the team’s success over the weekend, which included wins over Concordia (9-0), St. Olaf (7-2), Macalester (9-0), and St. Thomas (5-4).

Alongside partner Mallory Shellum (Sr., St. James, Minn.), Annis tallied a perfect 4-0 mark at No. 2 doubles on the weekend, including 8-1 wins over Concordia and Macalester as well as an 8-2 win over St. Olaf and an 8-5 victory over St. Thomas.  In singles, Annis thrived again at the second spot in the lineup.  The senior went 3-1 on the weekend with straight-set wins over Concordia (6-0, 6-1) and Macalester (6-3, 6-0) before contributing a deciding point with a 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 win in thrilling fashion against St. Thomas.

In her first season as a consistent contributor in the lineup, Annis has compiled a singles record of 10-12 on the year to go along with a doubles tally of 13-9.  She, along with the rest of her teammates will look to continue their strong play as the MIAC Playoff plot thickens.  Currently second in the league standings, Gustavus could clinch a share of its 27th MIAC title with a pair of wins coupled with a loss from St. Catherine.

The Gusties have two remaining regular season matches this spring, the first of which features a showdown with Saint Benedict in St. Peter on Saturday, April 27th.  Gustavus will then close the season at third-place Carleton on Sunday, April 28th before competing in the MIAC Playoffs, held in St. Peter on Friday, May 3rd and Saturday, May 4th.

MIAC Release

Laurel Krebsbach led the way with four wins on the day.

The Gustavus Adolphus women’s tennis team picked up a pair of wins in conference play on Sunday.  The Gusties first took on Macalester College in St. Peter at 10:00 a.m. in what was a 9-0 victory.  Gustavus then traveled to Minneapolis for a meeting with the University of St. Thomas.  The Gusties took that matchup by a narrow margin with a final score of 5-4.  With the two victories today, Gustavus improves to 11-6 (7-1 MIAC).

In the day’s first competition against Macalester, Gustavus got off to a strong start and did not look back.  The Gusties swept the Scots in the doubles competition by the scores of 8-3, 8-0, and 8-2 to capture the opening three points.  From there, the Gustie women went on to sweep the singles portion of the match to push the final score to 9-0.

Box Score

Sunday’s second match against St. Thomas had a different tale in store.  Gustavus began by taking two of three doubles matches, including a commanding 8-0 win at the No. 1 position by Laurel Krebsbach (So., North Oaks, Minn.) and Annie Mahoney (So., Duluth, Minn.).  In the singles competition, the two teams went back and forth with the Gusties taking wins at the first, second, and third positions led once again by Krebsbach who won in straight sets (6-0, 6-1).  The Tommies captured victories at the fourth, fifth, and sixth positions, but it was not enough as the Gustie women hung on for the narrow 5-4 victory.

Box Score

Annie Mahoney

St. Peter, Minn. - For the second straight day, the Gustavus Adolphus women’s tennis team saw itself off to a strong start.  The Gusties swept all three points in the doubles competition against St. Olaf on Saturday afternoon on the way to a 7-2 victory at the Swanson Tennis Center.  With the win, the Gusties win their fourth consecutive match and improve to 9-6 (5-1 MIAC) while St. Olaf falls to 8-6 (5-2 MIAC).

After sweeping all three doubles matches, Gustavus went on to drop points at two of the top three positions in the singles competition.  However, it was all the more the Oles could mount as the Gusties captured points at each of the four, five, and six positions, which included a dramatic win at No. 5 singles from Maddie Lindstrom (Fy., Lakeville, Minn.).  Lindstrom took the first set 6-4 before dropping the second 3-6.  She then came back to take the super tie breaker 10-8.  At the No. 6 position, Annie Mahoney (So., Duluth, Minn.) provided a commanding performance, winning in straight sets by scores of 6-1 and 6-2.

Gustavus will be in action again tomorrow when it hosts Macalester at 10:00 a.m. in the Swanson Tennis Center before traveling to Minneapolis to take on St. Thomas at 4:30 p.m.

Box Score

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