Gustavus won its 21st MIAC title in women’s tennis Saturday.
Senior Marla Menne sets up for a return.
Senior Tara Houlihan picked up a pair of wins in the final against Carleton.
Senior Lyndsey Palen uses her backhand against the Knights.
The Gustavus women’s tennis team won its 21st Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title Saturday with a 6-0 win over Carleton at the Swanson Tennis Center in St. Peter. Seniors Tara Houlihan and Lyndsey Palen teamed for a win at No. 1 doubles before recording wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively.
Houlihan (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Palen (Sr., Rochester, Minn.), the second-rated doubles team in the Central Region defeated the 12th-rated tandem of Sarah Russell and Eryn Koch 8-3 at No. 1 doubles, while Lauren Hom (Jr., Stevens Point, Wis.) and Marla Menne (Sr., White Bear Lake, Minn.), rated fifth regionally, downed Lisa Ottum and Shelley Getzendanner 8-5 at No. 2 doubles. Darcy Haubrick (Jr., Elk River, Minn.) and Jenni White (So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa) completed the doubles sweep with an 8-2 win at No. 3 over Abby Beggs and Christina Walker.
At No. 1 singles, Houlihan topped Russell 6-1, 6-1 in a battle of two regionally rated singles players. Houlihan was rated seventh and Russell 15th in the latest regional rankings. Palen, the 24th rated singles player in the region added a 6-3, 6-3 win Beggs at No. 2 singles, while Jaime Gaard added a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles over Christina Walker in the only other completed match.
The seventh-rated Gusties (27-4) must now wait to see if they will host First- and Second-Round NCAA matches next weekend. That announcement will be made Monday, May 1.