The Gustavus Adolphus College women’s tennis program advanced two doubles teams to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III doubles championships on Sunday afternoon. The tournament is being held at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Tara Houlihan (Sioux Falls, SD) and Lyndsey Palen (Rochester, Minn.) defeated Jackie Ross and Claire Smyser of Middlebury (Vt.) 6-2, 6-3 and will now play the top-seeded team of Lindsay Hagerman and Ginny Wortham of Washington and Lee (Vt.) in one semifinal matchup on Monday at noon.
Lauren Hom (Stevens Point, Wisc.) and Kara Smiley (Bovey, Minn.) upset the second-seeded team of Kelly Mikkila and Elizca Buys of Carthage (Wisc.) 7-6 (4), 6-2 and will now play Emily Applegate and Kristen McClung of Washington and Lee in the other semifinal on Monday at noon. The winners of each semifinal match will play for the national title at 3:00 pm.
The Gustavus women’s tennis program has not ever had a doubles team win the NCAA national championship.
Complete doubles results
Sunday, May 22
(1) Hagerman/Wortham (Wash & Lee) d. Austin/Steinmetz (Trinity(Tex.)) 6-1, 6-1
Houlihan/Palen (Gust. Adolphus) d. Ross/Smyser (Middlebury) 6-2, 6-3
Hom/Smiley (Gust. Adolphus) d. (2) Mikkila/Buys (Carthage) 7-6(4), 6-2
Applegate/McClung (Wash & Lee) d. (3) Bondi/Anderson(DePauw) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1