TULSA, Okla. -- The University of North Dakota women's tennis team defeated Omaha, 4-3, on Friday afternoon in the semifinal round of the Summit League Women's Tennis Championships.
With the win, North Dakota advances to the title match for the second time in program history and will face top-seeded Denver at 10 a.m. (CT) on Saturday morning.
"We knew going in to this match that there would not be very much separation between these two teams," said North Dakota head tennis coach Tom Boysen. "Opportunities would be at a premium."
The Fighting Hawks took advantage of the first opportunity in doubles action with a pair of wins on the No. 1 and 2 courts to grab an early 1-0 advantage. The middle duo of
Alva Norberg and
Andrea Pineda started it off with a 6-1 triumph before the top pairing of
Ethel Li and
Jule Schulte capped off the early start for the green and white by a 6-4 score on the No. 1 court.
"The players all know each other's games and tendencies so well," said Boysen. "It makes toughness, grit, bravery and focus that much more important."
NoDak extended the advantage to 2-0 early in singles action, as Norberg kept it rolling with a 6-3, 6-1 win on the No. 4 court, but Omaha responded with back-to-back victories from the top-two positions to even the score at 2-2.
The Hawks grabbed the lead back thanks to
Alyssa Giupponi on the No. 5 court, as the sophomore rallied back from a 6-3 defeat in the opening set to post a 6-1, 6-3 triumph to put UND in a clinching position.
"I am so happy that these young women were so willing to not be paralyzed by how much they wanted to win this match, but instead they turned it into fighting for each other and a common goal," said Boysen.
With the score even at 3-3, all eyes turned to freshman
Emma Roberts on the No. 6 court. There, the rookie dropped her first set by a 7-5 score before rallying back with back-to-back 6-3 victories to secure the match win and send the Hawks into the title match.
"We are thrilled to get the opportunity to play for a Summit League Championship tomorrow," said Boysen.
For more information on North Dakota women's tennis, follow on social media @UNDwtennis or visit FightingHawks.com.
