Box Score CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. -- For the second time this season a women's tennis match between Lindsey Wilson College and Campbellsville (Ky.) University came down to a single match with the score tied 4-4.
The only difference was this time the Mid-South Conference Tournament Championship was on the line and the Blue Raiders ended up with the title after avenging its loss to the Tigers earlier this season with a 5-4 win of their own on Monday at the Coca-Cola Tennis Courts in Campbellsville, Ky.
Tied 4-4, the MSC Championship came down to the No. 2 singles' match between Blue Raider sophomore Laura Vergara and Tiger sophomore Anita Henestrosa. Vergara dominated the first set 6-0, but fell in the second 6-3. The decisive third set went down to the wire with Vergara ultimately winning 7-5.
Heading into singles' play Lindsey Wilson trailed Campbellsville 2-1 after strong performances by the Tigers' first and third seed doubles' teams.
At No. 1 Campbellsville's Tanya Murtagh and Henestrosa beat Trina Slapeka and Slavica Milanovic 8-4, while the Tigers' Kristen Hamrick and Stacey Drew topped Edelmira Ferri and Ashley Phillips 8-0 at No. 3.
Blue Raiders Rocio Cardo and Vergara won 8-3 at No. 2 doubles against Gleidys Salazar and Aspen Edwards.
The first singles' match to end was Milanovic's 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Salazar to pull Lindsey Wilson into a 2-2 tie before wins by Drew and Edwards over Phillips and Cardo at No.4 and six seeds, respectively put the Tigers in control at 4-2.
Needing to rally for three wins to win the championship, Slapeka got the Blue Raiders started at the top seed, beating Murtagh 6-3, 6-3, while Ferri outlasted Hamrick 7-6 (3)m 7-5 to tie the match with only Vergara's match to play.
With the win Lindsey Wilson improves to 13-5 on the season with a No. 23 national ranking and earns an automatic bid to nationals, while the Tigers drop to 14-5 with a No. 20 national ranking.
The loss to the Blue Raiders was the first to a conference team this season for Campbellsville.
Lindsey Wilson returns to action on May 17-21 at the NAIA National Championship in Mobile, Ala.