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Box Score
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (April 23) – The No. 8 California University of Pennsylvania tennis team advanced to the finals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament following a 5-0 victory against Kutztown on Friday morning.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 20-5 overall this season and extend their win streak to nine matches. The Golden Bears, who are the eighth-ranked team in the region, falls to 10-9 this year. Three-time defending-PSAC Champion Cal U will face No. 44 Slippery Rock in the finals tomorrow, Saturday, April 24, after The Rock defeated Bloomsburg, 5-2.
During its nine-match win steak, Cal U has swept doubles play in each match. Playing together for only the third time this season, freshman
Jutta Bornefeld (Varel, Germany/Lother-Meyer Gymnasium) and junior
Nina Kowalski (Hofheim, Germany/Man Taunus) earned an 8-3 victory at first doubles over Ridhima Borooah and Rohini Das, the ninth-ranked doubles team in the region. Sophomores
Axelle Fernandez (Toulouse, France/Institut Familial) and
Alina Stanila (Alexandria, Romania/Technical) blanked Megan Groh and Tess Wright 8-0 at second doubles, while freshman
Jade Pondicas (Johannesburg, South Africa/British International Distance) and sophomore
Anastassiya Zherdeva (Almaty, Kazakhstan/Gumnasia Number 60) dealt Nicole Devine and Rachel Grula an 8-2 defeat at the third position.
In singles action, the Vulcans clinched the victory when Kowalski and Fernandez completed 6-0, 6-0 victories at the third and sixth slots, respectively.
In a rematch of the 2008 PSAC Championships, Cal U and Slippery Rock conclude the league tournament tomorrow, Saturday, April 24, at 9 a.m. The Vulcans posted an 8-1 home victory over The Rock during the final week of the regular season to clinch the PSAC West title.
