Box Score Schedule | Bracket
MOBILE, Ala. -- Second-seeded Lindsey Wilson women's tennis defeated a familiar foe today to open its NAIA National Tournament today at the Mobile Tennis Center.
The Blue Raiders (20-4) swept Mid-South Conference foe Cumberlands 5-0 in today's second round. Lindsey Wilson earned a bye into the second round based on its national seeding.
Today's win marks the fourth time this season the Blue Raiders have got the better of the No. 15-ranked Patriots (16-9) -- including winning in the MSC Tournament finals on April 24.
Much like the win in the conference tournament, Lindsey Wilson jumped out to a big lead by winning all three doubles points.
Fiona Curty and Maria Prados Cid -- ranked seventh in the NAIA in doubles -- defeated Isabella Dale and Jaclyn Jewell 8-2 to notch the first point of the match. Dale and Jewell entered the match ranked fifth in the NAIA. Curty and Prados Cid improves to 16-1 this season as a tandem -- 15 of those matches at the top of the Lindsey Wilson lineup.
Minja Gligic and Jovana Peric doubled the Blue Raiders lead in the second-seeded match with an 8-4 win over Maria Ochoa and Marian Bogajo. The win is the 11th straight for the 23rd ranked duo and their 12th win in 14 doubles matches this season.
Alex Shchipakina and Natalia Kattah made it a clean doubles sweep in the third-seeded match. The Lindsey Wilson pair remained perfect on the season (13-0) with an 8-1 win over Denee Lyttle and Luka Lyttle.
With three points in hand, it was a race to find the final two points and secure a spot in the national quarterfinals.
Kattah provided the first singles win with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Bogajo at the No. 6 match. Prados Cid ended the team competition at No. 4 singles with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Denee Lyttle. Kattah improves to 10-5 this season while Prados Cid won her team-high 16th straight match to improve to 16-1 in singles play in 2017.
The remaining singles matches were halted -- with Lindsey Wilson leading in each -- once the Blue Raiders reached the necessary five points to secure the team win.
Lindsey Wilson advances to face the winner of No. 7 seed Xavier (La.) and No. 10 seed Indiana Wesleyan at 1 p.m. CT on Thursday in the national quarterfinals.
