Gustavus 8, St. Thomas 1 (Box) | Photo Gallery
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College women’s tennis team maintained its perfect record in conference play on Sunday, taking down defending MIAC Playoff Champion University of St. Thomas 8-1 in a match played at the Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex. The win moves the Gusties to 16-6 overall and 7-0 in the conference, while the Tommies suffer their first conference loss and only their second overall defeat of the season to move to 13-2 and 7-1.
“This was a great win against a very good team,” said Coach Jon Carlson. “Our doubles teams continue to shine and our singles players are playing smarter with each progressive match. What sets us apart is the bond our entire team of 18 has with each other…they fight for one another every day and that makes a big difference come match time when they know their teammates have their backs. A special shout out also has to be given to the Hill Crew for coming in full force today to make it an even more special match.”
The Gusties got exactly the start they were looking for, as each of their doubles combos earned 8-6 victories, allowing the Black and Gold to head into singles play up 3-0. Ally Baker and Bri Hartmann led the entire way at the second position, but the teams of Michaela Schulz/Lizzy Stanczyk at No. 1 and Katie Aney/Sid Dirks at No. 3 each made comebacks mid-match to overtake their Tommie opponents and seal the doubles sweep.
In singles, Baker continued her stellar play at the fourth spot and secured the fourth point with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Paige Becher. Minutes later, Schulz clinched the deciding point at No. 1 singles with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Bridget Noack.
With the match already clinched, Gustavus continued to grind, and secured straight set wins from Hartmann at No. 5 and Aney at No. 6. Then, the senior Stanczyk put the icing on the cake with a come-from-behind thriller at the second spot over the Tommies’ Shelby Henderson. Stanczyk dropped the first set 6-2, but fought back in the second for a 6-3 win. In the 10-point tiebreaker, Stanczyk went ahead 7-3, but Henderson didn’t back down and evened the score at 8-8 late in the breaker. However, thanks in large part to her first serve, Stanczyk was able to prevail and came away with a 12-10 victory for the Gustie’s eighth point.
Heading into the weekend, Gustavus was one of four undefeated teams in the conference. It is now one of two, with Carleton still holding a perfect 7-0 record as well. However, the Knights face off against the Tommies this Friday in a match with heavy title implications.
Gustavus returns to action next Saturday in a match with the College of Saint Benedict. That match is slated for 1 p.m. in St. Joseph, Minn.