SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The women's tennis team had an eventful Saturday, opening up the Johnson Courts at Reynolds field to a pair of matchups. The Eagles opened the day against the Cougars of the University of Minnesota-Morris (9-0) in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) contest. As the sun set, the Purple and Gold took to the purple courts under the lights to host Judson University in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Regional Tournament. The UNW Eagles bested the Judson Eagles (5-0) to become the NCCAA North Central Region Champions.
UNW 9, UMM 0
UNW 5, Judson 0
Northwestern started the day in UMAC competition against Minnesota-Morris, defending the Johnson Courts to maintain an unbeaten home record. In No. 1 singles,
Karen Moe (Fargo, N.D./Fargo South ) dropped a single game (6-0, 6-1) before closing off the victory. Only No. 3 singles saw another game go the way of the Cougars, as
Emily Knight (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) wrapped the match (6-0, 6-3). From there, the Eagles were faultless, with all four remaining singles matches ending in a perfect 6-0, 6-0.
Jessica Henke (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) grabbed the win in No. 2 singles,
Rachel Bostrom (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) claimed the No. 4 singles honor,
Nikki Edin (Staples, Minn./Staples-Motley) took care of No. 5 singles, and
Emily Jennings (Baldwin, Wis./Baldwin - Woodville) finished off No. 6 singles. In doubles play, Moe and Henke cleaned up the No. 1 spot (8-3) to get things started for the home team.
Brooke Lapinski (Chanhassen, Minn./Chanhassen) teamed up with
Tina Matetich (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) to grab No. 2 doubles (8-0), while Knight and Bostrom took care of No. 3 doubles (8-0) to finish up the match.
The Eagles carried the momentum into the night, switching gears to the NCCAA Regional Tournament. UNW hosted – and bested – Judson University (5-0). Doubles play got underway, with all three Eagle pairings notching victories. Moe and Henke grabbed No. 1 doubles (8-1) impressively. No. 2 doubles went to Matetich and Lapinski (8-5) in the closest contest of the night. The final doubles match in the No. 3 spot ended with a Bostrom and Edin victory (8-1). In singles play, just Moe and Bostrom finished before Northwestern claimed the overall victory. Moe swept No. 1 singles (6-0, 6-0) and Bostrom also played a perfect match in No. 6 singles (6-0, 6-0).
UNW will be back in UMAC competition on Tuesday, April 26, at Martin Luther College. The Eagles will return to Reynolds Field next Saturday, April 30, to host the College of St. Scholastica, a rematch of the Eagles' lone conference defeat of the season to this point.
