2008 Woodie Awards
Women's tennis earns berth in PSAC playoffs with win over rival Clarion
By Andy Barlow
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Sports
A trio of victories in the past week has catapulted the Slippery Rock women's tennis team (19-2 overall, 5-1 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) into the PSAC championships being held in Bloomsburg today and tomorrow.
Last Thursday, the team clinched their berth in the playoffs with an 8-1 victory over rival Clarion. Two days and a trip to Philadelphia later, the team pulled off a pair of victories over Queens College and Holy Family University, 5-0 and 5-1 respectively.
With three more tallies in the win column, the team improved to a stout 19-2, including 9-0 in away matches. That impressive road record, coupled with a 7-0 neutral match record, could bode quite well for the team, whose journey for a PSAC Championship will have to come on the road.
Coach Matt Meredith believes the team will have a chance of defeating Bloomsburg in the first round and make the PSAC title game.
"We have a good chance to beat Bloomsburg as long as we take care of business," said Meredith.
They could, however, return to the Rock during the NCAA Division II East Regional. Sites for the regional tournament have yet to be determined, but Slippery Rock is rumored to be a possible host site.
First on the team's mind, however, is finding success at the conference championships. The most difficult hurdle in their quest for PSAC gold continues to be the daunting task of defeating California University of Pennsylvania (21-2, 7-0).
"Cal is No. 1 in the conference and No. 5 in the country so it will fun if we get to play against them," Meredith said.
Meredith's team is ranked No. 23 in Division II.
The win over Clarion, which was highlighted by the return of Kayla and Samantha Blackburn, saw all matches go in favor of the Rock except one. The doubles pairs of Kayla Blackburn-Laura Handy, Samantha Blackburn-Jessica Hilborn, and Gibson-Rizzi all notched victories, while all except Gibson triumphed in singles play.
Against Queens College in Philadelphia on Saturday, the same six recorded three doubles victories before completing the 5-0 sweep when Kayla disposed of her opponent 6-2, 6-0 and Gibson's opponent dropped out with an injury. In the second match of the day, Holy Family University gave the Green and White a run for their money, but fell short 5-1. The doubles pair of Samantha Blackburn-Jessica Hilborn was defeated 8-4, but the team picked up the other two doubles matches while Handy, Kayla and Samantha conquered their singles matches.
The Rock tangles with Bloomsburg today for the first round of PSAC playoffs. The winner of that match will face the winner of the California-Kutztown matchup on Saturday. The PSAC gold is at stake, and Meredith's troops look like a true contender once again.
Last Thursday, the team clinched their berth in the playoffs with an 8-1 victory over rival Clarion. Two days and a trip to Philadelphia later, the team pulled off a pair of victories over Queens College and Holy Family University, 5-0 and 5-1 respectively.
With three more tallies in the win column, the team improved to a stout 19-2, including 9-0 in away matches. That impressive road record, coupled with a 7-0 neutral match record, could bode quite well for the team, whose journey for a PSAC Championship will have to come on the road.
Coach Matt Meredith believes the team will have a chance of defeating Bloomsburg in the first round and make the PSAC title game.
"We have a good chance to beat Bloomsburg as long as we take care of business," said Meredith.
They could, however, return to the Rock during the NCAA Division II East Regional. Sites for the regional tournament have yet to be determined, but Slippery Rock is rumored to be a possible host site.
First on the team's mind, however, is finding success at the conference championships. The most difficult hurdle in their quest for PSAC gold continues to be the daunting task of defeating California University of Pennsylvania (21-2, 7-0).
"Cal is No. 1 in the conference and No. 5 in the country so it will fun if we get to play against them," Meredith said.
Meredith's team is ranked No. 23 in Division II.
The win over Clarion, which was highlighted by the return of Kayla and Samantha Blackburn, saw all matches go in favor of the Rock except one. The doubles pairs of Kayla Blackburn-Laura Handy, Samantha Blackburn-Jessica Hilborn, and Gibson-Rizzi all notched victories, while all except Gibson triumphed in singles play.
Against Queens College in Philadelphia on Saturday, the same six recorded three doubles victories before completing the 5-0 sweep when Kayla disposed of her opponent 6-2, 6-0 and Gibson's opponent dropped out with an injury. In the second match of the day, Holy Family University gave the Green and White a run for their money, but fell short 5-1. The doubles pair of Samantha Blackburn-Jessica Hilborn was defeated 8-4, but the team picked up the other two doubles matches while Handy, Kayla and Samantha conquered their singles matches.
The Rock tangles with Bloomsburg today for the first round of PSAC playoffs. The winner of that match will face the winner of the California-Kutztown matchup on Saturday. The PSAC gold is at stake, and Meredith's troops look like a true contender once again.
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