Gustavus 5, St. Thomas 2 (Box) | Photo Gallery
ST. PETER, Minn. – After defeating the University of St. Thomas 8-1 less than two weeks ago, the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s tennis team was able to come through again on Thursday afternoon, defeating the Tommies 5-2 in the MIAC Playoff Semifinal that was played at the Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex. The win pushes the Gustie’s overall record to 20-7, and they will now take on Carleton College in the MIAC Playoff Championship on Saturday afternoon in Northfield, Minn.
“I’m so proud of our team today, especially our seniors,” said Coach Jon Carlson. “Lizzy and Sid both stepped up for the team when it needed them most and showed outstanding leadership. We’re looking forward to a fun match on Saturday.”
The Gusties knew their task would be tougher the second time, as St. Thomas played without No. 2 doubles and No. 3 singles player Caitlin Bakke in the teams’ regular season matchup. However, Gustavus came out with the same firepower as it did the first time around and swept all three doubles matches to take a convincing 3-0 lead and grab momentum heading into the deciding singles matches.
There, Gustavus No. 1 singles player Michaela Schulz gave her team a 4-0 lead after defeating Bridget Noack 6-2, 6-4.
The Tommies pressed on though, and weren’t going to go home without a fight. Shortly after Schulz’s victory, the Tommies put up straight set wins at No. 4 and No. 5 singles to cut the Gustie lead to 4-2.
However, senior Sid Dirks was up to the task of playing hero and with two teammates still playing, earned a come-from-behind 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Bakke to clinch the match and allow her team to advance to the MIAC Playoff Championship match for the third consecutive season.
There, the Gusties will face a Carleton team that came into St. Peter this past Saturday and handed the Black and Gold a 7-2 loss. Carleton advanced to the championship match after defeating St. Olaf College 6-2 in the other conference semifinal that was played Thursday in Northfield, Minn. This Saturday’s match is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Bell Field Tennis Courts, located on the Carleton campus.
From the MIAC
The MIAC has a home page dedicated to the 2016 MIAC Women’s Tennis Playoffs, containing schedules, links and information on each of the six teams in the field. Throughout the tournament, the page will be updated with scores, stats, updated schedules and more. The MIAC also has an interactive tournament bracket so fans can follow the action in bracket form.
Fans can also track the MIAC Playoff action on the MIAC Scoreboard or the MIAC mobile app, which is a free download for both Apple and Android devices. Connect throughout the tournament on social media through the MIAC’s Facebook page or Twitter and Instagram accounts, using the hashtags #MIACWT and #MIACPlayoffs.