Evansville, IN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s tennis team advanced to its third-straight Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Tennis Championship match by sweeping Murray State, 4-0, in the semifinals of the OVC Tournament, Saturday, at the Evansville Tennis Center.
Austin Peay State University (11-3, 5-2) will square off with Southeast Missouri (15-4, 7-0) at 2:30pm, Sunday, at the Wesselman Tennis Center in its third-consecutive appearance in the title match. With the OVC Tournament moved back to its original outdoor venue for Sunday’s match, fans will be able to attend the championship match, weather permitting.
In Saturday’s semifinal match against Murray State (8-10, 4-3), the Governors jumped out to an early lead with another strong showing in doubles play. The No. 2 doubles match was the first to go final as Aleks Topalovic and OVC Freshman of the Year Jana Leder won their fourth-straight match.
Needing just one more win to claim the doubles point, Austin Peay’s pair of Second-Team All-OVC selections Fabienne Schmidt and Danielle Morris handily won in No. 1 doubles to clinch the doubles point and give the Govs a 1-0 lead. With the doubles point already decided, Ana Albertson and Honoka Nakanishi trailed, 3-4, in No. 3 doubles, but the match was left unfinished.
With a 1-0 lead to start singles action, Nakanishi wasted no time getting the Governors back on the board and dispatched Gabrielle Geolier in No. 6 singles to win her seventh match of the season. Then it was Schmidt’s turn to get the Govs on the scoreboard, as she beat Murray State’s Sara Loncarevic in No. 1 singles to give Austin Peay a 3-0 lead.
Needing just one more point to secure a spot in the OVC Championship, Martina Paladini-Jennings brought the match to an end when she beat Anja Loncarevic in No. 5 singles to complete the 4-0 sweep of the Racers.
With the match already won, Morris and Topalovic led in the third sets of the No. 2 and No. 5 singles matches, respectively, but both contests were left unfinished. Leder also led in the second set of the No. 3 singles match, but it was also left unfinished.
Quotably, Coach Brown
On Fabienne Schmidt
“That’s Fabi, you aren’t going to keep her down. She has had a little bit of a tough time, and I think she puts a lot of pressure on herself, but when it comes down to tournament time it is about doing the simple things and doing them very well. I think Fabi knew she was going to do that tonight, and I knew she was going to win tonight, I just knew it. She is always going to come back strong.
On three-straight trips to the OVC Championship
“It’s great. It just says we are consistent. For us, getting here is important and I am thankful that we are here, but our goal is to win it. That’s our goal. That’s it. So I am thankful that we got through here tonight, but we have got a job to do tomorrow, and that is to play good tennis and try to stay level all the way through.”
Results
Doubles
1. Fabienne Schmidt/Danielle Morris (APSU) def. Stasya Sharapova/Marit Kreugel (MUR) 6-2
2. Jana Leder/Aleks Topalovic (APSU) def. Sara Loncarevic/Sarah Bureau (MUR) 6-2
3. Ana Albertson /Honoka Nakanishi (APSU) vs. Anja Loncarevic/Gabrielle Geolier (MUR) 3-4, unfinished
Singles
1. Fabienne Schmidt (APSU) def. Sara Loncarevic (MUR) 6-4, 6-2
2. Danielle Morris (APSU) vs. Stasya Sharapova (MUR) 6-0, 3-6, 2-1, unfinished
3. Jana Leder (APSU) vs. Sarah Bureau (MUR) 7-5, 5-2, unfinished
4. Aleks Topalovic (APSU) vs. Marit Kreugel (MUR) 1-6, 6-3, 4-0, unfinished
5. Martina Paladini-Jennings (APSU) def. Anja Loncarevic (MUR) 6-2, 6-0
6. Honoka Nakanishi (APSU) def. Gabrielle Geolier (MUR) 6-2, 6-3
Next Up For Austin Peay State University Women’s Tennis
The Austin Peay State University women’s tennis team is set for a 2:30pm, Sunday, match against Southeast Missouri in the OVC Championship. The top-seeded Redhawks were the OVC’s regular-season champions and beat Jacksonville State, 4-1, in their semifinal match.
Southeast Missouri knocked off Austin Peay State University, 5-2, in their regular-season meeting on April 2nd at the Redhawks Tennis Complex in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Redhawks bested a new-look doubles lineup for the Governors to claim the doubles point, before winning four of the singles matches to hand the Governors their last loss of the season. Since falling to Southeast Missouri, Austin Peay has won six straight matches.
For more information regarding Sunday’s championship match against Southeast Missouri, visit the OVC’s Women’s Tennis Championship page (https://bit.ly/3sTVmVz) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com. For scores, news, and other updates regarding APSU Governors women’s tennis, follow along on Twitter (@AustinPeayWTN).
