CHAMPIONSHIP SCORES
#2 SIUE 4, #1 UT Martin 1
SIUE 4, UT MARTIN 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
SIUE women's tennis earned its first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship and NCAA Division I tournament berth with a 4-1 victory over UT Martin.
The win was the Cougars' 11th straight victory, redeeming their last loss March 18 against UT Martin.
SIUE lost the doubles point to fall behind 1-0 in three matches that were at one point each tied 5-5. It was just the third time all season that the Cougars gave up the doubles point. Lexi Aranda and Morgan Steffes earned a win at No. 3 to give the Cougars an early edge, but the victory wasn't enough to secure the doubles point for the Cougars. SIUE lost the deciding point on a 7-3 tiebreaker at No. 2 doubles.
SIUE quickly regained the lead in singles play, jumping out to a quick start in all six matches. The four Cougars who earned singles wins won in straight sets.
Monique Krutak tied the score 1-1 when she defeated Jermima Potter 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 4 spot. Steffes pulled the Cougars ahead with her victory from the No. 5 spot against Elina Guet, ending Geut's eight-match winning streak.
Mia Frogner defeated Asel Jumamukhambetova at No. 2 6-2, 6-1. Madeline Hill added a win at No. 3 over Burcu Tari 6-2, 6-0 to seal the win for the Cougars and send them to their first-ever NCAA tournament.
The Cougars will enter the 64-team NCAA tournament with opening rounds beginning May 13-15. The Cougars will discover their first round destination Tuesday, May 3 at 4 p.m. during the NCAA selection show on ncaa.com.