Box Score

DENVER (May 18) – The California University of Pennsylvania tennis team claimed two wins in doubles play on Wednesday afternoon before being eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a 5-2 loss to Cameron (Okla.) in the Round of 16 while at the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival.

With the loss, the Vulcans finish the year with an 18-4 overall record while making their 10th-straight appearance in the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, the Aggies improve to 23-3 this season and advance to face No. 7 Hawaii Pacific in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow, Thursday, May 19.

"I'm so proud of this team and the way they competed until the end," said head coach Pablo Montana. "We had our chances in singles as it came down to the wire, but we couldn't close it out."

Cal U took a 2-1 lead after doubles play with its victories coming by a combined three points. Junior Jasi Witherspoon (Macon, Ga./Howard) and freshman Holly Bennett (Kingston, United Kingdom/Sussex Downs-Lewes) suffered an 8-3 loss to Paula Gutierrez and Angie Torres at the second position to open the match. At the first slot, the No. 16 tandem of senior Kiefer Shaw (Westmount, Quebec/Centennial) and sophomore Lena Dimmer (Wallendorf-Pont, Luxembourg/Lycée Classique) then rallied for a 9-7 victory over the No. 15 duo of Alina Gorina and Zhenia Shviadok. The Vulcans closed the doubles session with juniors Veronika Mikulis (Otterburn Park, Quebec/Heritage Regional) and Alyssa Savill (Holbrook, Australia/Billabong) outlasting Samantha Wood and Mathilde Thibaudat by a 9-8 (11-9) count at the third position.

The Aggies, who won their first-ever Lone Star Conference (LSC) Tournament Championship this spring, claimed wins in the four completed matches, including a pair in two sets, to earn the match victory. Witherspoon opened singles play by dropping a 6-4, 6-2 match to Shviadok, the LSC Freshman of the Year, at the third slot. Cameron then regained the lead in the match when No. 18 Gutierrez, the two-time LSC Player of the Year, outlasted Shaw at the first position by a 0-6, 6-2, 6-0 margin. Bennett then suffered a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 loss to Wood at fifth singles before the Aggies sealed the match victory when Gorina, the LSC Newcomer of the Year, claimed a 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-1 win over No. 30 Dimmer at the second slot.

"This was one of the most exciting matches I have ever been a part of and it could have gone either way," said Montana. "I want to thank the players for their hard work and commitment for making this a remarkable season."

Cal U and Cameron previously met in the Round of 16 during the 2012 NCAA Tournament.