ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. After rain forced Thursday's semifinal match inside and delayed it until the evening, second-seeded Methodist prevailed in a nail-biter against third-seeded Southern Virginia. The Monarchs clinched a spot in the conference title match with a 5-3 victory over the Knights.
JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Methodist def. Southern Virginia, 5-3
Records: Methodist 13-5, Southern Virginia 12-4
Location: Slick Family Tennis Center; Rocky Mount, North Carolina
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Methodist's top doubles duo was defeated by Southern Virginia as Toni Laney and Veva Willocks fell 8-2. The 'twos' and 'threes' took care of business for the Monarchs though, with Cailin Cifra and Kamdyn Balko earning an 8-2 win on the second court and Megan Kidd and Valeria Matute taking the third doubles match 8-0.
- Up 2-1 after the doubles round, Matute picked up the first singles win as Methodist's number-four player, beating her opponent in two sets of 6-3 each. Southern Virginia took the next two matches, tying the overall match at 3-3 as Laney dropped the top singles match and Cifra was beaten in the number-two match.
- On the third court, Kidd defeated her challenger with sets of 6-2 and 6-4. Clinching the match win was Willocks, who won in two sets of 6-0 and 6-1 to give Methodist it's fifth point.
- On court five, Luciana Forma's match was left unfinished. She took the first set 6-1 and held a 3-2 advantage in set two at the time the match concluded.
UP NEXT
Methodist faces North Carolina Wesleyan, the No. 1 seed, in the conference championship match on Friday at 2 p.m. in Rocky Mount.
