NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College women’s tennis team is going dancing. A doubles sweep and two straight-set singles wins gave the Gusties a 5-0 victory over Carleton College on Saturday afternoon at the Bell Field Tennis Courts. The win clinches Gustavus its first conference playoff title since 2011, and the Gusties also earn an automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships.
“I’m so proud of our team,” said Coach Jon Carlson. “They really stepped up and played well against a very good Carleton team. The toughness and passion they showed throughout the entire match was truly inspiring and I’m proud to be their coach.”
Exactly one week ago, the Gusties fell to the Knights 7-2 in St. Peter, a match that ended Gustavus’s perfect regular season conference record and proved to be the Gustie’s only match of the season in which they were swept in doubles.
This Saturday was a different story, as the Black and Gold began the match with a 3-0 doubles sweep. Michaela Schulz and Lizzy Stanczyk were first off the court, taking an 8-4 win at the No. 1 position. Ally Baker and Briana Hartmann put up an identical 8-4 win at the second spot, and minutes later, Katie Aney and Sid Dirks sealed the sweep with an 8-5 win at the third position.
The Knights proved to be tough in singles though, and pushed Gustavus at each of the six positions. However, after a tight first set, Hartmann cruised in the second to pick up a 6-4, 6-2 win at the No. 5 position to give the Gusties a 4-0 lead. Then, with the remainder of her teammates locked in tight battles, Baker fought back from a 4-3 second set deficit to take a 6-2, 6-4 victory to clinch the match for Gustavus.
Now, Gustavus returns to the NCAA Championships after a four-year drought between 2012 and 2015. Prior to 2012, Carlson’s teams had a remarkable 21-year run in which the Gusties appeared in the big dance. This year’s national tournament field will be announced Monday afternoon.