Bowling Green, Ohio — The University of Findlay women's tennis team, ranked No. 14 in the country, earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Indianapolis in the first round of the NCAA DII Midwest Regional on Thursday, May 8 at Keefe Tennis Courts. The Oilers, hosting the event, pick up the program's first-ever NCAA postseason victory and advance to the next round to take on the winner of Ferris State and Rockhurst who are playing in Findlay at the YMCA after weather forced that match inside.
Findlay opened the day by claiming the doubles point with two wins out of three. Ivanova Lucero and Valentina Salek got the Oilers on the board first, rolling to a 6-2 victory at No. 2 doubles over Liza Simak and Maelys Thiery-James. Polina Zaytseva and Maria Batinic followed with a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles against Jimena De Pablos Hernando and Sofia Cardenas. The nation's No. 18-ranked duo of Anamarija Kovacevic and Audrey Ouellet fell 2-6 at No. 1 doubles to Silvia Zappoli and Magda Kornijczuk.
Leading 1-0 entering singles, Findlay's top three flights delivered the decisive points. Maria Valentina Salek Rivero cruised at No. 3 singles with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Magda Kornijczuk. Anamarija Kovacevic battled back from a set down to defeat Maelys Thiery-James 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 at No. 1 singles. Maria Batinic then sealed the 4-3 team victory at No. 2 singles, outlasting Jimena De Pablos Hernando 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
The winner of tomorrow's match will earn a trip to the NCAA DII National Championship which will be held at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprise, Arizona, from May 19–24, 2026.
