LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Kutztown University women's tennis dropped just one game across the top four singles flights and captured two-of-three doubles matches to conclude its regular season with a 5-2 PSAC East victory at Lock Haven on Wednesday afternoon.
The Golden Bears improved to 7-9 overall and will finish over .500 in conference play for the second year in a row, matching last year's 4-3 record.
Bieke Roovers (Leiden, Netherlands/Leonardo College) and
Sarah Lazarchak (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) got KU off to a fast start by shutting out Christy McLean and Olivia Sharp, 6-0, at second doubles.
The available doubles point in the match came down to the top flight after Lock Haven (8-4, 2-4 PSAC East) picked up a 6-4 win from Natalie Brown and Claire Long at No. 3. Kutztown prevailed, however, with
Alejandra Vera (Manta, Ecuador/Unidad Educativa Particular) and
Emma Semery (Fuveau, France/HDN Academy) clipping Mia Shuler and Olivia Anastos, 7-5.
Kutztown's top four singles players made quick work of their Bald Eagle counterparts, wrapping up the match in the process.
Semery was the first to finish off a 6-0, 6-0 win, doing so against Mary Hillman at No. 3. Roovers followed with a 6-0, 6-0 victory against Anastos at No. 2 and Vera blanked Shuler 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1.
Lazarchak, the team's lone senior, claimed a 6-1, 6-0 win over McLean at No. 4 to extend Kutztown's lead to 5-0.
Lock Haven earned points at fifth and sixth singles in hard-fought matches that could have gone either way. Sharp held off
Mallory Barndt (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) 7-5, 6-4 at No. 5 and Alaina Marchioni topped
Ryleigh Bohning (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) 6-4, 3-6, 10-8 in a super tiebreaker at No. 6.
Wednesday's match likely brought to a close Kutztown's 2023-24 season. While mathematically not yet eliminated from the postseason picture, Bloomsburg (3-1) would have to drop its final three matches for the Golden Bears to slide into the No. 3 seed in the East. The Huskies can secure the division's final playoff berth with a win over 0-6 East Stroudsburg tomorrow.
