Box Score

ST. PETER, Minn. – For the first time in program history, the St. Scholastica women's tennis team has advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament after a 5-3 victory this afternoon over Luther College (Iowa) at the Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex.

This is the team's third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, but the previous two years the Saints have been eliminated in the first round. CSS had lost to the Norse twice during the regular season.

The Saints would take all three doubles matches today. That is the first time the Saints have done that against the Norse this season. At No. 1 doubles it was #Ploy Suthijindawong# (Fr.-Bangkok, Thailand/Duluth Central) and #Katie Motley# (Jr.-Eveleth, Minn./Eveleth-Gilbert) winning by a score of 8-4 over the 14th-ranked doubles team in the Central Region. The No. 2 team of #Callee Conda# (So.-Hibbing, Minn.) and #Kelly Ross# (Jr.-Buffalo, Minn.) won by a score of 8-6 and the No. 3 team of #Natalie Urick# (Jr.-Virginia, Minn.) and #Paula Beckermann# (Jr.-Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer) won 8-3.

In singles, Ploy Suthijindawong (Bangkok, Thailand/Duluth Central HS) would roll at the No. 1 spot, winning by scores of 6-1, 6-1 for her 19th straight victory. The Saints would need to just win one more singles match to advance to the next round. Luther would win at No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6 singles to cut the lead to 4-3. With two matches to go and CSS losing at the No. 2 spot, it came down to Callee Conda (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS (UW-Green Bay)) at No. 4. Conda would win the first set 7-5. The second set then went to a tiebreak and Conda would prevail to send the Saints into the second round with 7-3 win in the breaker and give CSS the fifth-and-deciding victory. Conda has won seven straight singles matches.

The Saints move on to face Gustavus Adolphus tomorrow morning at 11:30 a.m. in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. That match will also take place at the Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex, weather permitting.