• Box Score

MONROEVILLE, Pa. (May 2) – The No. 13 California University of Pennsylvania tennis team cruised to a 6-0 win over West Liberty in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament on Monday morning at Club Sport and Health.

With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 20-7 overall and have now posted at least 20 wins in five-straight seasons. Cal U will face Mercyhurst in the second round of the regional tournament tomorrow, Tuesday, May 3, at Club Sport and Health. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers finish the year with a 9-10 record after making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2006.

Cal U took an early 3-0 lead after sweeping doubles play by losing only a combined three games. At first doubles, junior Annabel Pieschl (Gothenburg, Sweden/Katrinelund) and sophomore Jade Pondicas (Johannesburg, South Africa/British International Distance) posted an 8-1 victory over West Liberty's Marina Quintana and Emma Windsor. Juniors Axelle Fernandez (Toulouse, France/Institut Familial) and Anastassiya Zherdeva (Almaty, Kazakhstan/Gumnasia Number 60) extended their winning streak to 11 matches by claiming an 8-1 win at the second position over Kayla Saunders and Moleigh Poling. In the third slot, senior Laurie Navarro (Eysus, France/Jules Supervielle) and junior Franziska Steinhardt (Bad Lausick, Germany/St. Augustin Gymnasium) dealt Hilltoppers' Raissa Wischi and Sarah Howells an 8-1 defeat.

In singles action, the Vulcans sealed the match victory by winning three matches without losing a game. Pieschl, who was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Athlete of the Year last week, posted a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles against regionally-ranked Wischi. Fernandez and Zherdeva each posted their 20th win in singles play this season on Monday by winning their matches at fourth and fifth singles, respectively, by 6-0, 6-0 counts.

Cal U will now play Mercyhurst for the second time in less than a month, as the Vulcans swept the regular-season match. The winner of the second-round match will advance to the NCAA Round of 16 from May 11-14 in Altamonte Springs, Fla. The Vulcans have advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament three times in the last four seasons.