EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Top-seeded Southeast Missouri women's tennis (15-4) bested #4 Jacksonville State (9-10), 4-1, Saturday afternoon at the Evansville Tennis Center to advance to Sunday's 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament Final.
"I am so proud of the tenacity that our team showed on the court today," head coach
Mary Beth Gunn said. "After we lost the doubles point, the players refocused and we captured all the singles first sets which gave us a huge advantage. We are looking forward to competing again tomorrow."
SEMO will face #2 Austin Peay on Sunday in the 2021 OVC Championship Tournament Final. The match is set for 2:30 p.m., CT outdoors at the Wesselman Tennis Center. The Redhawks will make their first OVC Championship Tournament Final appearance Sunday.
Austin Peay defeated #3 Murray State, 4-0, in the second Semifinal on Saturday.
SEMO dropped the doubles point Saturday, registering a win at the middle position.
Ksenia Shikanova and
Lera Valeeva defeated Sara Jamal and Harriet Hamilton, 6-0, at no. 2 doubles before the Gamecocks rallied off wins at the first and third slots.
Carolina Bulatovic and Malin Buechner overcame
Romana Tarajova and
Kseniya Zonova, 6-4, at the top spot before Dariana Prato and Balsen Kaya edged
Daniela Hlacikova and
Teona Velkoska, 6-4, at the final doubles position.
When competition switched to singles, SEMO recorded victories at the fifth, sixth, third and fourth positions to claim the first spot in Sunday's Final.
Vivian Lai (15-3) won her 11th consecutive match when she downed Jamal, 6-0, 6-2, to even the dual at 1-1. Lai is 8-0 in 2021 against OVC foes.
Velkoska then defeated Balsen Kaya, 6-2, 6-3, to provide the Redhawks a 2-1 edge.
Zonova grew the SEMO advantage to 3-1. The senior from Kharkiv, Ukraine, overcame Buechner, 6-4, 6-3 before Shikanova clinched the victory in three sets.
Shikanova, a 2021 All-OVC Second Team honoree, fought past Prato, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, to secure the semifinals win for SEMO.
Tarajova, the 2021 OVC Player of the Year, led her unfinished top singles match on Bulatovic, 6-2, 4-6, 5-1.
Hlacikova, the 2021 OVC Co-Freshman of the Year, was in the third set of her no. 2 match against Hamilton, 6-3, 4-6, 1-2, when Shikanova provided the Redhawks their game-winning point in the match.
SEMO will face #2 Austin Peay on Sunday in the 2021 OVC Championship Tournament Final. The match is set for 2:30 p.m., CT outdoors at the Wesselman Tennis Center (outdoors).
