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2019 SLIAC Women's Tennis Tournament

Spring has arrived and so has the SLIAC Women's Tennis Tournament. This year's tournament is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis, Mo. Six teams will compete for the 2019 Women's Tennis title. Greenville University is the top seed and is followed in order by Principia College, Webster University, Blackburn College, Westminster College, and Fontbonne University. Five matches are scheduled for Friday with the Championship and 3rd Place match being held on Saturday.

#1 Greenville PANTHERS

Overall: 11-5

SLIAC: 5-0

SLIAC Titles: 0

Greenville completed an undefeated SLIAC regular season by going 5-0 against conference competition this spring. The Panthers have won five straight matches as they enter the tournament and have totaled 11 wins overall, their most in over a decade. Three players have double digit wins in singles action for Greenvilel this spring, led by Courtney Blaser's 12 wins at #4 singles. Annie Bellinger has totaled 11 wins among the bottom three singles positions while Samantha Siefken has 10 wins among the final two singles spots. Greenville's top doubles pairing is the duo of Blaser and Claudia Principal, which has a team high four wins. Although Bellinger and Maddi Walsh have gone 3-1 in their short time together.

#2 Principia PANTHERS

Overall: 6-13

SLIAC: 3-1

SLIAC Titles: 20

Principia will have played a conference leading 20 matches this year after Tuesday's match against Westminster to close out their regular season. Paige Cooley has been a dominant force for Principia once again, putting together a 14-2 overall record at #1 singles. Cooley has yet to drop a game against a conference foe in singles action this season. She has also added eight more wins in doubles play, along with partner Gabby Kitchingman. Greer Sprague is second on the team with seven singles wins, with six of those coming at #3 singles, while Sarah Switzer has totaled five wins this spring. Principia's #2 doubles team of Jones and Sprague are dangerous as well with six wins.

#3 Webster GORLOKS

Overall: 5-8

SLIAC: 3-2

SLIAC Titles: 4

Webster went 5-8 overall and 3-2 in the SLIAC this spring. They have had to rebuild after graduating two of their top three players from last year's tournament championship team. In their absence Madison Watts has stepped into the leadership role, going a perfect 6-0 at her #2 singles position. Sara Rice is 5-5 at the top spot while Navone Armstrong leads the team with seven singles wins. The Gorloks have a strong doubles grouping, with a .439 win percentage that ranks 2nd in the SLIAC. Among their groupins is the pair of Rice and Watts which have gone 5-2 this year. Maggie Federhofer and Emma Ferguson have played to a 3-1 doubles record while Armstrong and Federhofer have added three more wins when paired up.

#4 Blackburn BEAVERS

Overall: 4-8

SLIAC: 2-3

SLIAC Titles: 0

Under the direciton of first-year head coach Kami Vallero Blackburn put together their best SLIAC finish in program history. The Beavers had lost 13 straight regular season conference matches before picking up a pair of wins this spring. Gariel Pierce has had a stellar spring for the Beavers, sporting a 5-4 singles record while playing at the top of the lineup. Erica Bechtold and Asia Coleman have each added three singles wins this season. Bechtold and Pierce are tied with the doubles team of Coleman and Anicc Mackay-Slavin for the team lead with three wins.

#5 Westminster BLUE JAYS

Overall: 2-6

SLIAC: 1-3

SLIAC Titles: 4

Westminster totaled two wins this season with first-year head coach Lexie Payne. The Blue Jays have a deep roster headed up by former SLIAC Newcomer of the Year, Clara Baldwin. Baldwin has gone 5-1 this spring with four of those wins at #2 singles. Isabel O'Neil is second on the team with four singles wins, all coming at the #6 spot. The doubles teams of Syndey Attebery and Clara Baldwin and Allison Frisella and Isabel O'Neil are tied for the team lead with two wins.

#6 Fontbonne GRIFFINS

Overall: 0-11

SLIAC: 0-5

SLIAC Titles: 0

Fontbonne is a young team with six freshmen and just one senior. Jordan Sampson has a team high two singles wins while Riane Tyus and Andrea Wiele have each notched wins this spring as well. The Griffins have tried numerous doubles combinations this spring with one the team of Chloe Loehr and Sampson playing more than three matches together.

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