The No. 4-seed Nittany Lion women (15-3) finally get their spot on the field at 1 p.m. Sunday, hosting the victor between the Cardinals and Dukes.
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The No. 33 Florida State Seminoles (18-11, 7-7 ACC) defeated the No. 36 Arkansas Razorbacks (16-13, 6-6 SEC) 4-1 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tennis Championship, held at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the campus of Texas Christian University. The Mids will take on UMass (17-3) on Sunday, May 14 at 1:00 p.m.at Penn Park on Dunning-Cohen Champions Field.
But the experience of rising to a surprise No. 1, then faltering, was much like the men’s hockey team this past season, and Tambroni said he consulted with coach Guy Gadowsky about how they recovered in time to make the NCAA tournament. Assists: HP-Perrotta 4, Brown 3, Stevens 3, Poulin 2, Gaeng; T-Brookhart 3, Sulmonte 3, Gillingham 2, Montalbano 2, Conti. We had one break at 5-5 on line three that changed the momentum a little late in the match. “Prior to their arrival we were really trying to build this program up, but when they got here I knew they were going to do some special things”.
Montgomery, Georgia’s No. 1 singles player, downed Florida A&M’s Courage Okungbowa 6-1, 6-0. “I want to play like today again and we would like to play tomorrow, but that’s what makes the tournament so hard but so special”.
“It’s exciting that we’ve earned the right to play at home”, said coach Karin Corbett, who inherited a program that was coming off a 1-12 season almost two decades ago.
“We talked a lot about that in the middle of the season”, Tambroni said. “They outcompeted us and we were just not competing in that first half and that really set the tone in High Point’s favor”. “I’m just ready to get after it”. Junior attack Cam Ziegler (Carlsbad, Calif.) saved the ball on the sideline and passed it off to classmate Kyle Cornell (Darien, Conn.), who found Forsberg on the right side.
Not to mention, in each season of their careers, the two have had the luxury of opening up NCAA play at home. The two teams were forced into a tiebreaker after neither led by more than a single point in regular time. Miguel Este (Caracas, Venezuela) and David Biosca (Sant Fruitos de Bage, Spain) tried to claim a doubles match, but the head-to-head match with Alex Fennell and Gabriel Friedrich went unfinished at 3-3. Goalie Ingrid Boyum played one of her best games of the season in Sunday’s upset of Loyola. Sophomore Jackie Gilbert also had four with one draw control and a caused turnover; and senior Gabby McMahon secured four ground balls with one caused turnover.
Navy endured a three-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, losing to Loyola in the Patriot League championship in 2015 and 2016. “You know this is the ultimate goal and when you finally get it, the feeling is go great”, Jenna Collins said. Villar came back to tie the set, 4-4, before Gonzalez won the next two games to put the Aggies ahead, 3-2.
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“To play our last match here at Snyder, I don’t think has hit me yet”, Boland said.
