The Dallas Baptist Women's Tennis Team fell in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association Semifinals to No.14 Azusa Pacific University, 5-0, on Thursday morning. It was the second consecutive ranked opponent to top the Lady Patriots, after No.23 Shorter University snapped their eight-match, winning streak yesterday.
DBU (19-10) began the NCCAA National Tournament in similar fashion to its ride at the end of the regular season. After a 5-3 victory lifted the squad over Northwestern-St. Paul, the Lady Patriots squeaked past No.17 Indiana Wesleyan, 5-4. That was the team's second-straight win over a nationally ranked top 25 opponent during the eight-match span. Thursday's setback moved them to 2-4 against those opponents.
Azusa Pacific was able to grab the first five matches and secure its place in the NCCAA National Championship that's played Friday.
Slotted in the #1-line, No.17 Natalie Johnson and Emily Harris were too much for sophomore,
Amanda Richter, and freshman,
Cassandra Wennerstrom, as APU won 8-5. Seniors,
Leah Rutt, and
Leah Smith, got topped 8-4 in the #2 spot.
In singles play, the #5 and #6 slots for the Lady Patriots ended their afternoon as junior,
Lyvia Gomes, and sophomore,
Alexa Mentesana, got defeated in those respective spots.
#24 Emily Harris won the first set against DBU's Rutt, but the native of Strasburg, Pennsylvania, was winning 4-1 before the round went unfinished.
Other unfinished sets that featured competive match-ups were Wennerstrom in the #2-line falling 7-6 (7-1) in set one to Johnson. The #3-line had Richter competing down 6-4 in the first and tied 2-2 in the second with APU's Danae Ingwaldson.
Smith, in her final collegiate tennis match, was leading Lindsey Yeom, 4-3, in the second set after falling in the first, 6-0.
"Although the score reflects that we were beaten pretty badly today, it doesn't show how close our top four singles positions were with their opponents," Head Coach Sarah Gray reflected. "I am super proud of these girls for stepping up and playing some of their best tennis I have seen them play all year. They wanted to win this match and the tournament for the seniors and came out playing strong and fearless." Dallas Baptist swept the Central Regional Championships, 3-0, after earning a selection with a solid regular season record. The team compiled a 14-9 record, ending the campaign on a four-game winning streak.
Eventually its season-long, six victories in a row would be shattered in the NCCAA Regional, when DBU won the title game for its seventh-straight. Two more wins to start day one of the NCCAA National Tournament and that stretch increased to nine for the regionally ranked No. 8 team.
Coach Gray concluded, "Our three seniors: Rutt, Smith, and Natalie Gennissen are a big part of our program and we will continue to remember their contributions throughout our season next year. I am very proud and fortunate to have the team we do as they represented DBU and themselves with such class this weekend. They have been a wonderful group and those of us returning next year are already anticipating it."The Lady Patriots have qualified for nine-straight NCCAA National Tournaments dating back to the 2005-2006 season.
Azusa Pacific Results
