• Box Score

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. (May 12) – For the second-straight season and third time in four years, the No. 6 California University of Pennsylvania tennis team advanced to quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament following a 5-0 victory against No. 28 Grand Valley State (Mich.) on Wednesday morning.

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 24-5 overall this season and extend their winning streak to 13 matches. Cal U will now face No. 9 Hawai'I Pacific in the NCAA Quarterfinals tomorrow, Thursday, May 13, at 9 a.m. Meanwhile, the Lakers end the season at 22-9 after advancing to their first-ever Round of 16.

In doubles play, Cal U cruised to a 3-0 lead after losing only a combined three games. At the first position, junior Julia Cohen (Philadelphia, Pa./Laurel Springs) and freshman Jutta Bornefeld (Varel, Germany/Lother-Meyer Gymnasium) blanked the regionally-ranked doubles tandem of Chelsea Johnson and Darylann Trout, 8-0. Freshman Jade Pondicas (Johannesburg, South Africa/British International Distance) and sophomore Anastassiya Zherdeva (Almaty, Kazakhstan/Gumnasia Number 60) earned their 13th-consecutive doubles victory after collecting an 8-1 win against Tara Hayes and Katelyn Schaffer. At third doubles, sophomore Axelle Fernandez (Toulouse, France/Institut Familial) and junior Nina Kowalski (Hofheim, Germany/Man Taunus) posted an 8-2 victory over Jackie Shipman and Allison Fecko.

The Vulcans finalized the victory over Grand Valley State by winning matches at first and sixth singles. Cohen cruised past Hayes at the first position, 6-0, 6-0, while Fernandez earned a straight-set victory over Shipman at the sixth spot, 6-1, 6-0.

Last season, Cal U suffered a loss in the NCAA Quarterfinals to Armstrong Atlantic, the two-time, defending-National Champion.