CHARLESTON, W.Va.Ā -- Crosstown rivals West Virginia State and Charleston will meet for the 2014 Mountain East Conference Women's Tennis Tournament championship after each squad picked up a victory in the semifinals.
The teams will meet tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Schoenbaum Tennis Courts. The teams met earlier this season with WVSU winning 5-4 over UC.Ā
The top-seeded Yellow Jackets advanced after handing West Virginia Wesleyan a 5-0 defeat. The doubles team of Brittany Franco and Brooke Campbell picked up a 9-7 win at No. 1 doubles to clinch the third point in doubles. Campbell then rolled in her singles match at the No. 2 slot, and Nina Dillwalld blanked her opponent in straight sets at No. 4 singles to secure the win.
In the second semifinal, Charleston was on the winning side of three close doubles matches that propelled it to a 5-0 victory. Toni Katipa and Kelsey Hensley won 9-7 at No. 1 doubles, Jackie Backos and Marieve Edwards won in a tiebreaker at No. 2 doubles, 9-8 (7-4). Taylor Todd and Ana Pena edged their opponents, 9-7, to put UC up 3-0 after doubles.
From there, Backos won at No. 5 singles and Todd won at No. 6 singles to lift the Golden Eagles to victory.
#3 Charleston def. #2 West Liberty, 5-0
Doubles
#1 Katipa/Hensley (UC) def. Howard/Cabero (WLU), 9-7
#2 Edwards/Bakos (UC) def. Dawson/Barr (WLU), 9-8 (7-4)
#3 Todd/Pena (UC) def. Pinchuk/A. Pauley (WLU), 9-7
Singles
#5 Jackie Bakos (UC) def. Kate Pinchuk (WLU), 6-1, 6-1
#6 Taylor Todd (UC) def. Andrea Puga (WLU), 6-0, 6-2