Northfield, Minn. – In the previous seven years of the MIAC Women’s Tennis Playoffs, only two teams have earned the right to hoist the championship trophy. Those two teams met again on Saturday afternoon at Bell Field Courts in the MIAC Playoff Championship when the second-seeded Gustavus women’s tennis team took on top-seeded Carleton.
After the Gusties took a 2-1 lead following doubles, the Knights came back to take four of five finished singles matches to capture a 5-3 win and earn their third playoff title. With Saturday’s result, Carleton improves to 18-2 overall, while Gustavus finishes the season with a record of 16-6.
Gustavus took an early 2-1 lead thanks to strong play in the doubles competition. The Gusties got an 8-5 win from Lizzy Stanczyk (Fy., Plymouth, Minn.) and Michaela Schulz (Fy., Elk River, Minn.) at second doubles and an 8-6 win from Calleigh Carlson (Fy., St. Peter, Minn.) and Sidney Dirks (So., St. Peter, Minn.) at third singles. The Knights registered their only point in doubles at first doubles with an 8-2 win from Anne Lombardi and Joyce Yu.
In singles, Yu tied the match with a win at the No. 5 position. Yu defeated Aryn Eckstrom (Fy., St. James, Minn.) 6-0, 6-0 before Katherine Greenberg gave Carleton a 3-2 lead when she defeated Calleigh Carlson (6-0, 6-2) at No. 6.
Junior Laurel Krebsbach (North Oaks, Minn.) evened the score again when she made quick work of Claire Spencer with a straight-set win at second singles. Krebsbach did her part by defeating Spencer 6-1 in both sets.
From there, Carleton’s remaining two players outlasted the Gusties in a pair of three-set wins to take the match. After Mikayla Becich won her first set 6-1 at third singles, Lizzy Stanczyk came back to score a 6-4 win in the second. Although Stanczyk battled, Becich proved to be too much, winning the third set 6-4 to give her team a 4-3 lead.
Anne Lombardi finished the match with a win at first singles. Like the third singles match, Lombardi won the first set 6-1 before Michaela Schulz came back to take the second set 7-5. Lombardi then outlasted Schulz to win the third set 6-4 to give her team the 5-3 win.