Owensboro, Ky. — The University of Findlay women's tennis team, ranked No. 14 in the country, punched its ticket to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championship match with a decisive 4-0 sweep over Walsh University in the tournament semifinals on Friday afternoon at Centre Court.
With the victory, the Oilers advance to the conference championship for a sixth consecutive year. Waiting for them in the finals will be the winner of Northwood and Tiffin. Should Tiffin advance, it will mark the fifth straight year that the Oilers and Dragons square off against one another for the G-MAC tournament crown.
Findlay gained the early momentum against Walsh by sweeping doubles play to secure the opening point. Polina Zaytseva and Maria Batinic struck first, notching a 6-3 win over Liv-Grete Laarmann and Eliza Verstappen at the No. 3 flight. The nation's 18th-ranked duo of Anamarija Kovacevic and Audrey Ouellet officially clinched the doubles point with a hard-fought 7-5 victory at No. 1 against Taira Abildayeva and Olesya Ivashchuk. Ivanova Lucero and Maria Valentina Salek Rivero closed out the doubles sweep seconds later, taking the No. 2 flight 7-5 over Aleksandra Chmir and Lina Starke.
Carrying a 1-0 lead into singles, the middle of Findlay's lineup proved to be entirely overwhelming. Valentina Salek was the first off the court, delivering a flawless 6-0, 6-0 "double-bagel" victory over Eliza Verstappen at No. 3 singles. Maria Batinic quickly pushed the team lead to 3-0 with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 win over Taira Abildayeva at the No. 2 spot.
Rain began to fall and the remaining matches were forced inside.
After a brief five minute transition to the indoor courts, Polina Zaytseva then delivered the clinching blow for the Oilers, defeating Aleksandra Chmir 6-4, 6-1 at No. 4 singles to secure the 4-0 team sweep and end the match.
When the dual was clinched, the remaining three singles flights were abandoned. Anamarija Kovacevic (No. 1), Audrey Ouellet (No. 5), and Ivanova Lucero (No. 6) all held leads or were tied in the second set of their respective matches after each had won their opening sets.
The Oilers will now shift their focus to Saturday's championship match, looking to capture another G-MAC title against the winner of Northwood and Tiffin. That contest will begin at 2 pm CT / 3 pm EST.
