PADUCAH, Ky. – Teona Velkoska's 15th-consecutive singles win sent #1 Southeast Missouri (17-2) to a 4-2 victory over #2 SIU Edwardsville (17-5) giving the Redhawks their second-straight Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title Sunday.
 
Clinging to a 3-2 lead, Velkoska edged Caitlyn Sporing, 6-3, 7-6, at the No. 6 singles position to nail down SEMO's 17th win of the season. SEMO tied its most wins in a season in program history on Velkoska's match point.
 
For the first time ever, SEMO swept both the OVC regular-season and tournament crowns. The Redhawks also secured their second-straight NCAA Tournament berth and will head to the 64-team field for only the second time in program history.
 
The Redhawks once again started strong by taking the doubles point. Vivian Lai and Trinity Calinescu blanked Fabio Perez and Sporing, 6-0, at the No. 3 spot before Velkoska and Daniela Hlacikova beat Amelia Gorman and Margaux Guibal Britt, 6-3, to put SEMO ahead, 1-0.
 
SEMO added to its lead with wins in the top two spots of its singles lineup when OVC Player of the Year Hlacikova and fellow OVC First-Team selection Romana Tarajova completed two-set victories. 
 
For the second time this season, Hlacikova defeated Jill Lambrechts, the 2022 OVC Player of the Year. Hlacikova won by scores of 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1. Tarajova followed with a 6-3, 6-3, win over Guibal Britt at No. 2 to push the Redhawks lead to 3-0.
 
SIUE, however, got within one when Jordan Schifano defeated Ksenia Shikanova, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 4 and Gorman beat Lai, 7-5, 6-4, at the No. 5 spot.
 
Velkoska picked up her 25th singles victory of the 2022-23 campaign, second-most on the team. Calinescu, Tarajova and Lai each have 26 singles wins which tie the program's all-time single-season record in singles wins held by Donna Fields (1992-93).
 
The championship match between the OVC Tournament's top two seeds went nearly three hours before a winner was declared.
 
Since 2021, SEMO women's tennis has won two OVC regular-season championships and two OVC Tournament titles. The Redhawks also compiled a combined 47-14 record in that stretch. 
 
Today's title marks the fifth OVC championship for SEMO's Department of Athletics in 2022-23. SEMO's football (regular season), women's indoor track & field and men's basketball (tournament) teams also hoisted the trophy.
 
SEMO will find out who it faces in the NCAA Tournament when the entire bracket is revealed during the Division I Selection Announcement on May 1. The selection announcement will air live online at NCAA.com at 5 p.m., CT.