Franciscan 3, Allegheny 4

Meadville, Pa. - In a repeat of the matchup from the 2022 PAC Championship, the Gators and Barons squared off for conference supremacy on Monday afternoon.

The weather was perfect, 70 degrees and sunny, unlike the conditions last time they played in Steubenville. The Gators won 5-0 with the final two matches left unfinished due to rain. Today we had two of the same doubles matchups as we had in Stuebenville, and only one of the singles matches was the same as the regular season meeting on September 25th.

This was a championship for the ages, a back-and-forth thriller that lasted nearly four hours. Unfortunately, the Gators would edge out a 4-3 win to claim the PAC Championship

Doubles
   At #2 doubles, Olivia Colby and Jordan Beltavski improved to 13-0 this season in doubles while playing together. They were tied at 1-1, but then scored five consecutive points to take a 6-1 win and set the tone early. 

At #3 doubles, Veronica Saunders and Lucy Rochat kept it within up until the score was 4-3. Then  Allegheny would score consecutive points to knot it up at one match a piece.

    The one doubles point would come down to #1 doubles with the duo Claire Cardie and Kina Ehlers representing the Barons. After trailing early they fought back to tie it up at 3-3. It would be tied 4-4 and 5-5, but then the Barons rallied two straight points to take the match 7-5 to give Franciscan a 1-0 edge.  

    This was the first time since September 20th, that the Gators had lost the doubles point in a match this season. The Barons were now three singles match victories away from winning the conference championship. 

Singles
   The Gators tied it up at 1-1 with a convincing win at #6 singles. Evie Ellenberger did not play in singles during the regular season matchup of these two teams, but she showed her talents in a 6-0, 6-1 win over Margaret Vernau.

    Kina Ehlers improved to 13-0 in singles matches this season with a straight sets win at #3. She was part of one of the matches that did not finish during the regular season, so she was very pumped to secure the second point and give the Barons the lead back at 2-1 with four matches left to finish.

    Olivia Colby continued her dominance in this PAC Championship Tournament with a straight sets win at #2. She defeated Rei Etsumi 6-2, 6-3 to put the Barons up 3-1 and one match away from securing the 2024 PAC Championship. 

    The Gators responded once again with a win at #5. Maria Lounder played up one spot from their regular season meeting, as she defeated Hazel Mistry in straight sets. Mistry rallied from down 3-1 in the opening set to tie it up at 4-4 before Lounder winning it 6-4. She then won 6-0 in the second set to set the team score at 3-2.

    Allegheny evened the match at 3-3 with a win at #4. Jordan Beltavski dropped the opening set 6-0, but then answered with a 6-1 win in the second set. The third set was tied 2-2, but then Allegheny went on a run to control the set and secure victory. That tied the match at 3-3.`    

    Just like the PAC semifinal, it came down to the match at #1. Allegheny won the opening set 6-4, but Claire Cardie answered in the second set. She forced a tiebreaker and won that 7-2 to tie this match up at 1-1. In the third, she trailed 5-4 but forced another tiebreaker at 6-6 once more. Allegheny's Emiliia Grydnieva edged out Cardie 7-4 to conclude this nearly three hour match and give the Gators their first PAC Championship of the 2024-25 school year. 

    
Next Up
    This concludes the fall season for Franciscan Women's Tennis. They will play a handful of matches during their non-traditional spring season, including some on their annual spring break trip to Florida. A formal schedule will be released at a later date on franciscanathletics.com

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