Box Score vs. Millersville I
Box Score vs. IUP
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (April 30) – The No. 26 Vulcans captured their 10th-straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship by earning a 5-0 victory over Millersville in the semifinals and a 6-3 win over No. 38 IUP in the finals of the league tournament, both on Saturday afternoon.
With the wins, the California University of Pennsylvania tennis team improves to 17-3 overall. The Vulcans entered the weekend as the top seed in the Atlantic Region and will make their 12th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
"This is without a doubt an incredible accomplishment for our team and program. To win 10 conference championships in a row, at any level, is a big deal and we have been the dominate force in the PSAC for a decade now," said head coach
Pablo Montana. "The little things that we work on week in and week out have been huge for us and our players are playing with such confidence at the moment. I'm so proud of this team and they make it all worth it."
In the semifinals, Cal U cruised to a 5-0 victory against Millersville, the second seed from the PSAC East, losing only three combined games in the win – all in doubles play. At the first slot, the No. 16 tandem of senior
Kiefer Shaw (Westmount, Quebec/Centennial) and junior
Lena Dimmer (Wallendorf-Pont, Luxembourg /Lycée Classique) collected an 8-2 victory against Sara Sambrick and Nicole Daacke, while junior
Jasi Witherspoon (Macon, Ga./Howard) and sophomore
Holly Bennett (Kingston, United Kingdom/Sussex Downs-Lewes) tallied an 8-1 win at the second position over Tori Davis and Kaylora Thompson. The junior duo of
Alyssa Savill (Holbrook, Australia/Billabong) and
Veronika Mikulis (Otterburn Park, Quebec/Heritage Regional) blanked Kimberly Theophile and Kelley Hershey by an 8-0 count at third doubles.
Against the Marauders, the Vulcans clinched the match victory by earning a pair of 6-0, 6-0 victories. Dimmer, the No. 30 singles player in the country, posted a win at the second position against Daacke, while Bennett registered a victory over Thompson at the fifth slot.
Cal U and IUP met in the league championship for the sixth-consecutive year with the Vulcans earning a 6-3 win. The Vulcans swept doubles play for the 12th time in the last 13 matches while playing the Crimson Hawks. At the first position, Dimmer and Shaw earned their 20th victory of the season after outlasting Jarka Petercakova and Luise von Agris, the third-ranked doubles team in the region, by a 9-8 (9-7) margin. Bennett and Witherspoon collected an 8-2 victory over Rachel Wood and Alanna McFail at the second slot, while Savill and Mikulis earned a 9-7 win at third doubles against Raquel Gonzalez and Claudia Menes.
The Vulcans and Crimson Hawks split the six singles matches with three going to three sets and two more being decided in second-set tiebreakers. At the first slot, Shaw suffered a 6-2, 6-2 loss to Petercakova and Dimmer rallied to collect a 0-6, 6-3, 6-3 win at the second position against von Agris. Witherspoon dropped a 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) match at third singles to Gonzalez and Mikulis claimed a 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) victory at the fourth slot against Sophie Butland. Bennett was outlasted by a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 count at the fifth position by Menes, while Savill recorded a 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 7-5 win over Wood at sixth singles.
Following the championship match, Mikulis was named the PSAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player after posting a combined three wins over the weekend.
