Owensboro, Ky. — The No. 14 University of Findlay women's tennis team captured the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championship on Saturday, April 25, securing a 4-0 sweep over Tiffin University at Centre Court.
The victory marks the Oilers' second G-MAC tournament title in program history, with their last championship coming in 2023. Remarkably, Saturday's showdown marked the fifth consecutive year that Findlay and Tiffin have clashed in the conference title match with the two teams now splitting the last four title bouts.
The Oilers, who also hold the No. 2 spot in the regional rankings, opened the championship dual by battling for a hard-fought doubles point.
Findlay struck first at the top flight, where the nation's 18th-ranked duo of Anamarija Kovacevic and Audrey Ouellet delivered a quick 6-3 win over Jemimah Choi and Brooke McNeal. Tiffin answered back at the No. 3 spot, as Francesca Milani and Imani Shah defeated Polina Zaytseva and Maria Batinic 6-4 to even the doubles action.
The crucial opening point came down to the No. 2 flight, where Ivanova Lucero and Maria Valentina Salek Rivero broke the tie and clinched the 1-0 team lead with a clutch 6-4 victory over Erna Brdarevic and Katarina Yates.
In singles action, Findlay seized the momentum entirely, starting with a massive statement at the top flight. Anamarija Kovacevic was the first off the court at No. 1 singles, securing a commanding 6-3, 6-3 victory over Jemimah Choi. The result was a huge win for Kovacevic, as Choi is nationally ranked, had defeated Kovacevic earlier in the regular season, and had just been named the G-MAC Player of the Year yesterday.
Feeding off Kovacevic's win, Valentina Salek quickly followed at the No. 3 spot, extending the Oilers' lead to 3-0 with a dominant 6-0, 6-3 victory over Brooke McNeal.
The championship-clinching moment was then delivered by Maria Batinic at No. 2 singles. Batinic dispatched Francesca Milani 6-3, 6-1, securing the fourth and final point to seal the 4-0 team sweep as the Findlay celebration ensued.
With the championship in hand, the remaining matches were abandoned. Polina Zaytseva was on the verge of victory at No. 4 singles (6-3, 5-4), Ivanova Lucero was dominating at No. 6 (7-6, 5-0), and Audrey Ouellet was trailing at No. 5 (3-6, 0-5).
As the G-MAC Tournament Champions, Findlay secures the conference's automatic bid to the postseason. The Oilers will now await the NCAA selection show, which will take place on May 4 at 8:30 p.m., to find out their destination and opponent for the upcoming NCAA Division II Regional Tournament.
