Women's Tennis - IIAC NCAA Tournament Automatic Qualfier

Date:	April 27, 2013
Results:	Runner-up
Location:	Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Semifinals - The Luther women’s tennis team earned a spot in the IIAC Automatic Qualifier Tournament title match after battling past a pesky Wartburg squad at Vets Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Norse won a pair of doubles matches and then added a trio of singles victories to pick up the 5-1 win.

Elise Allen and Maggie Helms led 4-3 at No. 1 doubles before winning the final four games to defeat Claire Evans and Melissa Davis. Lola White-Baer and Hailey Johnson trailed early in the match at No. 3, but regained their form and won by an (8-4) margin against Michelle McKenzie and Brita Jensen. The Knights grabbed a point at No. 2 where Jenny Dallenbach and Katherine Ross rallied for a (9-7) victory over Luther’s Katy Lindstrom and Annie Whiteley.

Whiteley rebounded by tallying the first singles point for the Norse, beating McKenzie (6-3, 6-3) at No. 5. Allen was also a winner in straight sets, knocking off Dallenbach by a (6-1, 7-5) margin at No. 1. All four other courts were competitive, but Helms garnered her second point of the day, outlasting Ross (7-5, 6-4) at No. 3 to clinch the match for Luther.

Box Score

Championship Match - The Norse saw their season come to an end with a loss to Coe in the title match of the IIAC Automatic Qualifier Tournament. The Norse jumped out to an early 2-1 edge after doubles, but the Kohawks were able to rally to earn the automatic bid into the NCAA DIII National Tournament, winning by a 5-3 margin.

After Coe tallied a victory at No. 1, the Norse fought back and gutted out tight victories at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Katy Lindstrom and Annie Whiteley went back and forth with their Kohawk counterparts at No. 2, outlasting Laura Birky and Elizabeth Hoffmann by an (8-6) margin to knot the score at 1-1. Lola White-Baer and Hailey Johnson finished an unbeaten spring season with a (9-7) win at No. 3, defeating Jordan Ferree and Tamara Washington to give the Norse a 2-1 lead heading into singles action.

Jenna Myers picked up the third point of the day for the Norse with a (6-2, 6-2) win over Hoffmann at No. 6 singles, but Coe tallied wins at No. 2, 3, 4, and 5 to clinch the team victory. Luther’s Elise Allen was still out on the court battling Coe’s Tai Lucero at No. 1 singles when the match was stopped.

The Norse finish the season with a 16-7 record.

Box Score