Championship Central
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. – No. 2 South Alabama completed its mission with a 4-1 victory over No. 8 Georgia Southern to win the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Women's Tennis Championship title Sunday afternoon at the Peachtree City Tennis Center.
The Jaguars (22-4, 8-2 Sun Belt) claimed their first Sun Belt Tournament crown since 2015 and their league-leading 18th overall. The Eagles (14-13, 4-6) advanced to their first conference tournament final since 1986.
Appearing in its sixth-straight Sun Belt Championship final, South Alabama earned the doubles point in 43 minutes thanks to a 6-2 win by sophomore Nikola Kohoutova and freshman Yurie Takanishi at No. 3 and a 6-4 win by seniors Alexandria Stiteler and Patricia Martins at No. 1.
In singles, the Jaguars added their second point on sophomore Yu Fujioka's 6-2, 6-1 win at the No. 2 spot. Georgia Southern got on the board as freshman Luisa Hrda won her 16th-straight singles match this spring with a 6-1, 6-2 win. South Alabama answered less than 10 minutes later with sophomore Nikola Kohoutova taking her match 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3.
The final three singles matches were all close to clinching but, perhaps fittingly, it was Stiteler who closed out the match with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 win at No. 1. The victory was the 65th career singles win for the two-time Sun Belt Player of the Year and four-time All-Sun Belt first team selection.
Earning the conference’s automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships, the Jaguars now await their destination and opponent. The NCAA Tournament field is set to be announced on Monday, April 29 with the individual participants unveiled on Tuesday, April 30.
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2019 SUN BELT WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
Results
Match 7 - No. 2 South Alabama 4, No. 8 Georgia Southern 1
Doubles
1. Fujioka, Yu/Pasanen, Milka (USA) vs. de Winter, Arianne/Bujan, Emilia (GS) 5-4, unfinished
2. Martins, Patricia/Stiteler, Alexandria (USA) def. Boixader, Paula/Hrda, Luisa (GS) 6-4
3. Kohoutova, Nikola/Takanishi, Yurie (USA) def. van Diemen, Charlotte/Truscott, Lindsay (GS) 6-1
Singles
1. Stiteler, Alexandria (USA) def. de Winter, Arianne (GS) 7-6 (7-2), 6-1
2. Fujioka, Yu (USA) def. Bujan, Emilia (GS) 6-2, 6-1
3. Kohoutova, Nikola (USA) def. Boixader, Paula (GS) 6-2, 6-1
4. Hrda, Luisa (GS) def. Pasanen, Milka (USA) 6-1, 6-2
5. Martins, Patricia (USA) vs. Hartig, Mila (GS) 6-4, 5-2, unfinished
6. Monsalve, Diana (USA) vs. Goines, Elizabeth (GS) 6-1, 5-2, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,4,3,1,5,6)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Monday, April 29
NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship Team Selection Show (NCAA.com), 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 30
NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship Individual Participants Announcement, 5 p.m.
All Times are Central and Subject to Change