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Women's Tennis

Women's Tennis NAIA Nationals

Sea Lions Topple Lindsey Wilson to Advance to NAIA Quarters

The NAIA No. 4-ranked Sea Lions opened national tournament play with a hard-fought 5-0 win against No. 14 Lindsey Wilson (KY) to move into the quarterfinals where they will meet Brenau (Ga.) Thursday morning at 9:00 am (CST).
 
Though PLNU walked away with a shutout, the match was anything but easy. Court three doubles pairing of Kiersten Steinhauer and Wileen Chiu easily won 8-0 and Chiu dominated in a straight-sets blanking of Lindsey Sheene in six singles. But every other match would be hotly contested.
 
The Sea Lions took all three doubles points. After three finished up, Kristin Strimple and Ashley Litchfield won 8-2 on court one. Rachel Owens and Jessica Kwan went back and forth with Trina Slavica and Agnieszka Wojtowicz on two before finally prevailing 8-6.
 
Now needing just one point after Chiu won on six, it seemed that it would be just a matter of time before the Sea Lions grabbed the five points necessary for the team triumph. All five remaining singles competitions went to three sets, however.
 
Perhaps the most unlikely candidate to pull out the second singles win, did just that. Owens, a Washingtonian not accustomed to the heat and humidity of the South, scuffled a bit in her doubles match and lost her first set in singles, 6-3 to Slavica Milanovic before rallying 6-2, 6-3 in sets two and three.
 
Owens' point was big because all other matches were in dog-fights, though PLNU was gaining momentum in many.
 
Strimple was locked in a battle with Trina Slapeka on court one. She won the first set 7-6 but was dropped in the second 6-3. The PLNU All-American was ahead 2-0 when Owens won and play was stopped (only the first round of matches at the national tournament are played out, the remaining rounds are halted when one team gets five points needed for the win).
 
Trailing 4-1 in the third set, Litchfield was on the verge of losing on court two. Kwan lost the opening set to Wojtowicz but won in a tie-breaker in the second to force a third. Steinhauer, after falling to Marina Pacifico in the first set, fought off frustration – and perhaps some questionable calls – to blank her opponent in the second and was up 5-1 when Owens put away Milanovic.
 
The Sea Lions improved to 19-3 on the year. Lindsey Wilson fends the year 16-5.
 
PLNU's next opponent, No. 6 Brenau, recorded the quickest victory of the day. The Golden Tigers led Northwood (Fla.) 4-0 after the doubles matches concluded. Brenau (12-8) picked up two points in doubles matches and two more points due to the fact that Northwood only had five available players and had to default a No. 3 doubles team and a No. 6 singles player. Brenau earned its fifth point after a Northwood women's player had to default from her singles match due to an injury.
 


Singles:
No. 1 - Kristin Strimple (PLNU) vs. Trina Slapeka (LWC), 7-6, 3-6, 2-0 DNF
No. 2 - Ashley Litchfield (PLNU) vs. Jessica Weyreuter (LWC), 6-1, 3-6, 1-4 DNF
No. 3 - Rachel Owens (PLNU) def. Slavica Milanovic (LWC), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 4 - Jessica Kwan (PLNU) vs. Agnieszka Wojtowicz (LWC), 3-6, 6-6 (3-0) DNF
No. 5 - Kiersten Steinhauer (PLNU) vs. Marina Pacifico (LWC), 4-6, 6-0, 5-1 DNF
No. 6 - Wileen Chiu (PLNU) def. Lindsey Sheene (LWC), 6-0, 6-0

Doubles:
No. 1 - Kristin Strimple / Ashley Litchfield (PLNU) def. Trina Slapeka / Jessica Weyreuter (LWC), 8-2
No. 2 - Rachel Owens / Jessica Kwan (PLNU) def. Slavica Milanovic / Agnieszka Wojtowicz (LWC), 8-6
No. 3 - Kiersten Steinhauer / Wileen Chiu (PLNU) def. Marina Pacifico / Lindsey Sheene (LWC) 8-0
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