Box Score Winona, Minn. - The Winona State University women's tennis team concluded the 2021 regular season with a commanding 6-1 win over Luther College on Friday, April 16 at the Winona Tennis Center.
With the win, the Warriors move to 11-3 overall and will now prepare for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Women's Tennis Championship, held April 23-25 in Sioux Falls, S.D. With a 9-3 NSIC mark, the Warriors will finish second in the league among the 12 programs. The second-place regular season mark ties a program high set in 2018 with that Warrior team also finishing 10-1 and in second behind Augustana.
The 2019 Warrior team was third in the NSIC campaign at 8-3 and 16-4 overall, while the 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday against Luther College, WSU took the opening point from doubles play, capturing wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles levels.
Rachel Kelly and
Rina Niehoff teamed up to beat Luther's Sofia Sackett and Natalia Smith, 6-2 at No. 2, while
Sara Anderson and
Faith Young defeated the Norse's No. 3 selection of Anna Spencer and Lexi Hastings, also by a 6-2 score. No. 1 singles went to Luther, with
Beth Murman and
Audrey Delich falling to Devon Bourget and Shelby Cook, 6-7 (4).
In singles the Warriors saw several matches stretched to three sets, in a competitive night of tennis. WSU's Brooklyn Jorgensen and
Sara Anderson both won comfortably at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, with Jorgensen winning 6-3, 6-2 over Kylie Dunning and Anderson beating Jessica Dahl, 6-1, 6-2.
Winona State's No. 1,
Beth Murman, beat Luther College's top player Devon Bouget, 6-4, 7-6 (4), and
Rachel Kelly captured the No. 2 singles point for the Warriors with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Shelby Cook.
Rina Niehoff also won at No. 3 singles, 4-6, 6-0, 10-2 over Sofia Saclatt.
The lone Luther win was at No. 4 singles, where Natalia Smith beat WSU's
Audrey Delich, 7-5, 2-6, 8-10.
Winona State has won their last matches heading in to the NSIC Tournament. Schedules, pairings, and further information on the NSIC Women's Tennis Championship will be release by the league early next week.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit:
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words:
Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
