The Gustavus women’s tennis team finished in fourth place at the Midwest Invitational after suffering a pair of heartbreaking 5-4 losses to sixth-ranked Denison University and 24th-ranked Washington University-St. Louis on Saturday in Madison, Wis. Gustavus dropped to 13-8 overall after finishing the weekend with a 1-2 record.
Gustavus started off the day with a tightly contested match against sixth-ranked Denison. The Gusties won two doubles points as White/Krebsbach and Frank/O’Neal won their respective matches 8-1 and 8-2. Gustavus extended its lead to 4-1 after Sam Frank (#4 singles) and Erica Dobson (#5 singles) won their matches in straight sets. Denison narrowed the gap as the Big Red picked up straight set victories in #3 and #6 singles. Marta Drane defeated Ali O’Neal 6-2, 6-2 at the #3 position, while Kendra Murray defeated Jenny Arnfelt 6-3, 6-2 at the #6 position. The match was then decided by third-set tiebreakers at #1 and #2 singles. Jenni White dropped the first set of her match with Meghan Damico before battling back to win the second set 6-4. White was unable to complete the comeback though as she lost a close tiebreaker 10-8. Sierra Krebsbach was part of a similar match with Kristin Cobb. Krebsbach won the first set 6-2, dropped the second set by the same score, before losing the decisive tiebreaker 11-9.
In the third-place contest against Washington University-St. Louis, Gustavus earned two doubles points after receiving wins from White/Krebsbach and Frank/O’Neal at the #1 and #2 spots, respectively, for a 2-1 lead heading into singles play. Five of the six singles matches were decided in straight sets as Jenni White (#1) defeated Erin Swaller 6-2, 6-2 and Sam Frank (#4) defeated Allison Dender 6-1, 6-1. The score remained tied at 4-4 as Sierra Krebsbach evened her match with Karina Kocemba by winning the second set 6-4. In a match-deciding, tense third-set tiebreaker, Kocemba won the point by the score of 10-7.
The Gusties will host Wartburg College at Swanson Tennis Center and travel to Hamline University and College of St. Catherine on Saturday, April 12.
Semifinal- Denison 5, Gustavus 4
Singles
#1- Meghan Damico (DEN) def. Jenni White (GA) 6-4, 4-6, 10-7 in the tiebreaker
#2- Kristin Cobb (DEN) def. Sierra Krebsbach (GA) 2-6, 6-2, 11-9 in the tiebreaker
#3- Marta Drane (DEN) def. Ali O’Neal (GA) 6-2, 6-2
#4- Sam Frank (GA) def. Erin Gorsich (DEN), 6-3, 6-3
#5- Erica Dobson (GA) def. Kara Zdanowski (DEN), 6-3, 6-3
#6- Kendra Murray (DEN) def. Jenny Arnfelt (GA) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
#1- White/Krebsbach (GA) def. Drane/Cobb (DEN) 8-1
#2- Frank/O’Neal (GA) def. Damico/Murray (DEN) 8-2
#3- Zdanowski/Gorsich (DEN) def. Arnfelt/Laura Arnebeck (GA) 8-5
Third Place Match-Washington Univ.-St. Louis 5, Gustavus 4
Singles
#1- Jenni White (GA) defeated Erin Swaller (WUSTL) 6-2, 6-2
#2- Karina Kocemba (WUSTL) defeated Sierra Krebsbach (GA) 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 in the tiebreaker
#3- Jaclyn Bild defeated Ali O’Neal (GA) 7-5, 6-2
#4- Sam Frank (GA) defeated Allison Dender (WASHU) 6-1, 6-1
#5- Kalee Cassady (WASHU) defeated Erica Dobson (GA) 6-4, 6-3
#6- Kristin Fleming (WASHU) defeated Jenny Arnfelt (GA) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
#1- White/Krebsbach (GA) defeated Dender/Fleming (WASHU) 8-3
#2- Frank/O’Neal (GA) defeated Swaller/Cassady (WASHU) 8-5
#3- Bild/Kocemba (WASHU) defeated Arnfelt/Laura Arnebeck (GA) 9-8 (7-4)