MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Carleton College women’s tennis team repeated as MIAC regular-season champions with an 8-1 victory over host University of St. Thomas on Sunday. This is the Knights’ fourth MIAC crown over the last six years as they wrapped up the conference schedule with a perfect 10-0 record and enter next week’s conference tournament as the top seed.
“We are very happy to finish the regular season with a great performance today,” said Carleton head coach Luciano Battaglini. “St. Thomas is always very tough, and we had to fight hard to accomplish our goals. Winning the MIAC title is never easy, and we are proud of this team.”
Due to rainy weather, the match was moved indoors at the Baseline Tennis Center and began with the singles contests. No. 37-ranked Carleton (15-4, 10-0 MIAC) was unfazed by the change in location and schedule as the Knights swept all six singles matches.
Zoe Park (Fy./Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) got the Knights started with a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles, and Caitlin Shea (Sr./Joliet, Ill./Joliet Township West) followed with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph at the third slot. Danielle Vasiliev (Jr./Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson) continued her stellar play over the month of April with a 7-5, 6-4 victory atop the singles lineup.
Carleton took a 4-0 lead and inched closer to the necessary five team points when Kristina Conrad (So./Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) claimed a super-tiebreaker win at No. 4 singles by a 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-0) tally.
Madeline Prins (Fy./Pacific Palisades, Calif./Palisades Charter) was next to finish and clinched both the team result and the Knights’ conference title with her 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (10-4) victory at the fifth slot.
Alana Danieu (Jr./East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora) completed the singles sweep with her 7-6, 6-3 win at No. 6 singles. The Knights then added victories in two of the three doubles matches.
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS: Carleton is the top seed for the six-team MIAC Playoffs and will host a semifinal match on Friday, May 5 at 3:30 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.
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