#2 Franciscan 5, #4 Washington & Jefferson 4

Washington, Pa. - Champions! The Franciscan University Women's Tennis team defeated #4 Washington & Jefferson by a score of 5-4 to win their first Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship. 

Doubles
The Lady Barons got off to a strong start in doubles play with the team of Maria Herrera and Ana Victoria Haddad making quick work in their #1 Doubles match by a score of 8-2. Franciscan earned a second doubles team point when the team of Zoey Stapleton and Susan Schuberg won the #2 Doubles match 8-3. 

Singles
Zoey Stapleton would pick up the Lady Barons first singles win, rolling to a 6-1, 6-1 win in the #3 Singles match. After Washington & Jefferson won the #6 Singles match, Caroline Picard picked up the victory in the #4 Singles match, 6-3, 6-2, putting the Lady Barons one point away from the championship. The host would not go away quietly, rallying back by winning #5 and #1 Singles matches to tie the match at four points a piece. The PAC championship would come down to #2 Singles match where senior Ana Victoria Haddad took on Washington & Jefferson's Bella Goldman. Haddad took the first set 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 7-5. After dropping the second set 2-6, Haddad would control play in the third set winning 6-2 securing the PAC Championship for Franciscan.  

PAC All-Tournament Team
- Ana Victoria Haddad was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, winning her doubles match and the deciding #2 Singles match
- Maria Herrera was named to the All-Tournament Team helping Haddad pick up the win in the #1 Doubles match
- Carolina Picard was the final member of the All-Touranment, winning her #4 Singles match

What They Are Saying
Head Coach Scott Greve said, "I have coached many teams now at Franciscan and we've been blessed to win several championships. This team is special. They fought through the adversity of COVID. At times such as in this championship, we didn't have our entire lineup, but these ladies never gave up. They never hesitated in their desire to put forth the effort it takes to win a championship. Close matches didn't phase them. Individual loses didn't stop them. They trusted in their training an came through. I am honored to be their coach! They are true examples of what it means to represent this great university."

Who's Next? 
The Lady Barons with the victory earn the trip to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. This is the 5th trip to the NCAA tournament for the Lady Barons. They won the AMCC Championship in 2019, but the 2020 Spring NCAA Championships were canceled due to COVID-19. In their previous five matchups, they have lost 0-5 each time. They will have to wait till Selection Monday, May 10th, to hear what seed they receive and where they will be playing their first round matchup. 

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