Franciscan 5, Washington & Jefferson 0

Greensburg, Pa. - After a 13 day layoff between the semifinal and final, the Women's Tennis team can finally call themselves PAC Champions, as they defeated Washington & Jefferson 5-0 on Saturday afternoon. After having the Championship canceled a couple of times for inclement weather, the Championship was moved inside at the Greensburg Raquet Club.  

Doubles
    The duo of Maria Herrera and Olivia Colby kept up their success at #1 doubles with an 8-3 win over the top pair from Washington & Jefferson to get the Lady Barons on the board. Next to finish was the #2 doubles pair of Zoey Stapleton and Haley Davinsizer. They were able to defeat the Presidents by a score of 8-4. In #3 doubles, Caroline Picard and Laina Anderson teamed up successfully, as they won by a score of 8-4 as well. That would give the Lady Barons a 3-0 lead, as they would just need two singles victories to clinch the Championship. 

Singles
    Franciscan would keep up their winning ways in singles play. Maria Herrera would secure the 4th team point by winning #1 singles by a score of 6-2, 6-2 over Maya Krishnasamy. With Franciscan just one point standing in the way of back to back PAC Championships, freshman Olivia Colby would deliver. She won #2 singles in straight sets fashion by a score of 6-2, 6-3. Franciscan was leading three other singles matches when play was stopped. The Women's Tennis Team has now won six straight conference championships with four coming in the AMCC from 2016-19. 

After the match, the PAC announced the All-Tournament Team with Franciscan having three athletes honored. Sophomore Maria Herrera was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. Joining Herrera on the All-Tournament Team were Olivia Colby and Caroline Picard. 

"We knew that we were prepared for the Championship," commented Head Coach Scott Greve. "The ladies continued to prepare well during the two week layoff. The results were more than I anticipated. It was a phenomenal team performance against a very goog Washington & Jefferson team. Our upperclassmen have been the anchors of this team, and they showed up again in this match. Maria and Olivia provided the fire power that we have counted on all season. They (Maria & Olivia) have been battling injuries, but you would never know it. They truly shined in this match."

Who's Next? 
With the win Franciscan secures the PAC's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. Team selections for the Division III Championships will be announced Monday, May 9, 2022. The first round of the Division III Championships is slated for Thursday, May 12. Before the NCAA Tournament, the Lady Barons will begin their spring season on Spring Break in Orlando, Florida. Their first scheduled contest is on March 14th against Hamline University. Franciscan is scheduled to play at least five times down south before coming home. They then will pick up a handful of matches in April to be in peak shape for May 12th. 

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