SAVANNAH, GA – Senior Caitlin Siney returned from a recent illness and captured a straight-sets win at No.6 singles to help rally 26th-ranked Francis Marion University to a 5-3 win over 44th-ranked Wingate University, Sunday morning (May 4) in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Southeast Regional.
The fourth-seeded Patriots improve to 15-6 and will face top-seeded and second-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University (24-1) in Monday afternoon's regional title match at 2 p.m. FMU has advanced to the regional title match seven times in the last eight seasons.
The 2014 regional is being held at Savannah's Bacon Park. Monday's winner advances to the Sweet 16 National Championships at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida, on May 14-17.
Armstrong defeated 39th-ranked and eighth-seeded Tusculum College 5-0 in Sunday's other first-round match. Armstrong has won five of the past six Division II national titles.
Wingate, which defeated FMU 6-3 during the regular season, took a 2-1 lead after doubles play. Francis Marion won its point at No.2 doubles where freshman Samantha Koelliker and senior Kimberley Hurter defeated Sierra Parsons and Morgan Winston 8-3. The Bulldogs won 8-5 at No.1 doubles in a battle of regionally ranked duos, and Wingate won 8-4 at No.3 doubles.
Wingate took a 3-1 advantage with a straight-sets win at the No.5 singles position. Siney, playing for the first time since April 13, earned a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No.6 singles for her first singles win since March 26. That victory brought FMU to within 3-2 and started a string of four singles wins the Patriots needed.
Koelliker won 6-3, 6-3 at No.1 singles to even the match at 3-3, and the Hurter won 6-0, 6-0 at the No.4 spot to give the Patriots a 4-3 advantage.
Francis Marion junior Julia Graf clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at No.2 singles. Graf improved her season mark to 16-4 and her three-year career singles record to an amazing 52-8.
At the remaining singles position (No.3), FMU sophomore Nora Westbye was up slightly (7-5, 1-5) when the match was decided.
Women's Tennis Match Results
May 04, 2014 at Savannah, Ga.
#26 Francis Marion University 5, #44 Wingate 3
Singles competition
1. Samantha Koelliker (FMUW) def. Ali Evers (WU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Julia Graf (FMUW) def. Becca Thomas (WU) 6-3, 6-0
3. Nora Westbye (FMUW) vs. Layla Tanik (WU) 7-5, 1-5, unfinished
4. Kimberley Hurter (FMUW) def. Morgan Winston (WU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Sierra Parsons (WU) def. Veronika Viegas (FMUW) 6-0, 6-1
6. Caitlin Siney (FMUW) def. Sarah Martin (WU) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Ali Evers/Becca Thomas (WU) def. #14 Julia Graf/Nora Westbye (FMUW) 8-5
2. Kimberley Hurter/Samantha Koelliker (FMUW) def. Sierra Parsons/Morgan Winston (WU) 8-3
3. Layla Tanik/Sarah Martin (WU) def. Caitlin Siney/Veronika Viegas (FMUW) 8-4
Match Notes: Wingate 19-6; National ranking #44; Regional ranking #8
Francis Marion University 15-6; National ranking #26; Regional ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,6,1,4,2)
NCAA DII Southeast Regional First Round
T-2:56 A-50
