NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Coming off a historic victory in the quarterfinal round, the sixth-seeded St. Olaf College women's tennis team will take on the top-seeded University of St. Thomas in the semifinals of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs on Friday.
St. Olaf (5-5) became the first No. 6 seed to advance to the semifinals since the tournament began in 2007 by upsetting No. 3 seed Macalester College, 5-3, on Wednesday evening. St. Thomas (11-3) had a bye into the semifinals after winning the program's second regular-season title and first solo championship in 30 seasons with a perfect 9-0 run through the conference during the regular season.
Friday's semifinal will be contested at the University of Minnesota's Baseline Tennis Center at 4:30 p.m. The winner will face either fourth-seeded Bethel or second-seeded Gustavus in the championship match on Saturday, May 8 at 1 p.m.
In Wednesday's quarterfinal, the Oles knocked off the Scots behind wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles and a singles split to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2016. The tandems of
Sabrina Barboza/
Allie Prokosch and
Emily Otteson/
Greta Prokosch provided wins at the top-two doubles spots and both Prokoschs and
Christiana Cholakis added singles victories.
St. Thomas won the regular-season meeting between the two teams by a 7-2 score in Northfield on April 22. Barboza and
Allie Prokosch won eight-straight games after being down 5-0 to record a win at No. 1 doubles, while
Greta Prokosch added a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 4 singles for St. Olaf's second point.
After starting the season with three losses to NCAA Division I opponents, the Tommies have won 11-straight matches against Division III opposition, including a 5-4 victory over previously-unbeaten Gustavus to claim the MIAC regular-season title on April 25.
St. Olaf is appearing in the MIAC Playoffs for the 12th time in the tournament's 14 seasons, missing out on the playoffs only in 2017 and 2018. The Oles have twice finished as the runner-up (2009, 2010) and are 10-11 all-time in the event after Wednesday's win.
