Carthage Earns CCIW’s Automatic Qualifier to NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament

(AQ Tournament Results)

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – In the first ever College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Women’s Tennis Automatic Qualifier Tournament, Carthage topped Wheaton 5-4 in the championship match Saturday at Illinois Wesleyan to earn the conference’s AQ bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Reds picked up wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles as Amanda St. Romana and Elizca Buys of Carthage earned an 8-5 victory against Jordan Hook and Karly Olson, while Kristin Minkowksi and Gina Klein earned the No. 2 doubles win (8-3) over Christin Thompson and Brittney Dunn. Brook Parrish and Shannon Hale of Wheaton earned the No. 3 doubles win (8-6) over Taylor Gustafson and Beth Kaufman.

At No. 1 singles, Hook topped St. Romana, 6-0, 6-3, while Carthage earned wins at Nos. 2-4. At No. 2 singles, Buys defeated Thompson, 6-3, 6-3, while Minkowksi won at No. 3, beating Olson, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. Klein beat Hale at No. 4 singles, 6-2, 0-6, 6-4.

Parrish was victorious for Wheaton at No. 5 singles, beating Gustafson 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, while Wheaton’s Dunn was a winner of Kaufman at No. 6 with scores of 6-1, 7-6 (2).

This was the first season that the conference was given an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as the NCAA approved automatic qualifiers for tennis in January 2005, affective with the 2006-07 season.

The NCAA Tournament pairings will be selected on Monday, April 30, 2007, and posted at the NCAA’s website at ncaasports.com.