ST. PAUL – Following a nail-biting 5-4 victory over Carleton College last weekend, the Gustavus Adolphus women’s tennis team put forth another gutsy performance to knock out conference powerhouse University of St. Thomas on Saturday at the St. Paul Academy tennis courts. Both teams came into the match unbeaten in conference play, so with its 6-3 win over the Tommies, Gustavus is now one match away from winning the MIAC Championship.
“I am so proud of our team,” said head coach Jon Carlson. “Every single team member played a role in this victory, win or lose and whether they played or not. It’s been so much fun to watch this group come together as a team throughout the season…the support they have for one another is incredible. Our team mentality is really what I think has made us so successful this season so far.”
As they have done in each of their victories this season to this point, the Gusties took a lead into singles play. Gustavus earned victories in two-of-three doubles matches, including an 8-4 win from Michaela Schulz (So., Elk River, Minn.)/Lizzy Stanczyk (Jr., Plymouth, Wis.) at No. 2 and a come-from-behind 8-6 victory from Katie Aney (Fy., Rochester, Minn.)/Ally Baker (Fy., Rosemount, Minn.) at No. 3. Aney and Baker were down 5-2 at one point before rattling off three straight games to knot the score at 5-5 and proceeded to win three more straight games after the Tommies briefly retook the lead at 6-5.
In singles play, Schulz was first off the court, as she cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Shelby Henderson at the No. 1 spot to give the Gusties a 3-1 lead. Sid Dirks (Jr., St. Peter, Minn.) suffered a tough 6-1, 6-2 defeat at No. 4 to make the score 3-2, but Aney picked up from where she left off after her thrilling match-clinching win against Carleton last weekend and earned another three-set victory at the No. 5 spot, this time by a score of 7-5, 3-6, 10-7 to give Gustavus a 4-2 lead.
Fittingly, lone senior Laurel Krebsbach (North Oaks, Minn.) earned the fifth and decisive point for the Gusties, picking up a hard-fought 7-5, 6-4 victory over Bridget Noack at No. 2. Just minutes later, Baker put the icing on the cake with her second come-from-behind win of the day, as she fought off several match points in a 2-6, 7-6 (9), 10-8 victory over the Tommies’ Paige Becher at No. 6.
The Gusties will take on the College of Saint Benedict (5-4 MIAC) tomorrow with a chance to win the MIAC outright. That match will take place at noon at the Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex in St. Peter.