The Gustavus women’s tennis team took another step toward its 21st Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title Friday when they shut out Bethel 6-0 in a league tournament quarterfinal at the Swanson Tennis Center in St. Peter.
The seventh-ranked Gusties played well from the start, taking all three doubles matches. Lauren Hom (Jr., Stevens Point, Wis.) and Marla Menne (Sr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) picked up a 8-0 win at No. 1 doubles, while Jenni White (So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Darcy Haubrick (Jr., Elk River, Minn.) prevailed 8-3 at No. 2 doubles. Hannah Frericks (Jr., Sartell, Minn.) and Jaime Gaard (Jr., Edina, Minn.) completed the sweep, winning 8-1 at No. 3 doubles.
Hom continued her outstanding play in singles play, picking up a 6-0, 6-0 win at the No. 2 position. Gaard and Frericks came close to matching Hom’s feat recording 6-1, 6-0 victories at No. 3 and No. 5 singles, respectively. Senior Lyndsey Palen (Rochester, Minn.) was also well on her way to equalling Hom when the dual ended. Palen led Kari Blair 6-0, 3-0 at No. 1 singles when the match concluded.
The Gusties will face fourth-seed St. Thomas 9 a.m. Saturday morning in the semifinals. If the Gusties win, they will face the winner of the Saint Benedict/Carleton semifinal in the 1 p.m. championship match. Weather permitting, the tournament will be played at the Brown Outdoor Courts in St. Peter. Should showers again impact the schedule, the tournament will continue inside the Swanson Tennis Center.