Webster Tennis Faces Hanover in NCAA First Round
The Webster University women's tennis team will face Hanover College (IN) on May 7 in the first round of the NCAA III Championships. The Gorloks will play in the Sewanee Regional, in Sewanee, Tenn.
The Gorloks' match can be followed live at the Regional website HERE. The match, which is scheduled for 12 pm CDT, will be listed with 'live stats' as a link.
Webster advanced to the NCAA III Championships with its victory over Principia College (IL) for the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship on April 18. Webster is playing in its third NCAA III Championships, last appearing in 2012 when the team fell to Wheaton College (IL) in Greencastle, Ind.
Webster is led by 2014 SLIAC Player of the Year Marissa Lewis (SR, Owasso, OK/Owasso HS), who was 16-4, primarily at #1 singles, and 15-6 at #1 doubles. Lewis' 46 career singles wins are third on Webster's all-tme list and her 42 doubles wins are fourth.
Monica Behrle (FR, Atlanta, GA/East Paulding HS) made a splash her freshman season, going 20-1 in singles play and setting the Webster season record for singles wins in the process. The SLIAC Newcomer of the Year, Behrle was 15-5 in doubles, mostly at the #2 position with partner Jesse Steffens-Willis (FR, St. Louis, MO/Rockwood Summit HS). Junior Kaylen Kress (Bartlett, IL/Bartlett HS) was 13-2 at #3 singles and 14-6 in doubles, most coming at #1 with partner Lewis.
Hanover, making its second straight NCAA tournament appearance, has a 13-2 overall record. The Panthers captured the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference's regular season title with an 8-0 record and defeated Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in the league's tournament championship. Playing primarily a fall schedule, Hanover has played only one intercollegiate match since October 19.
The winner of the Webster/Hanover match will face the #1 ranked Emory University (GA) in the second round on May 8 at 2:00 p.m. The Eagles are 16-3 overall and are champions of the University Athletic Association, of which Washington University in St. Louis is a member. Emory is making its 31st straight appearance in the NCAAs.
The host school, the 12th ranked University of the South @ Sewanee (17-5), will play Agnes Scott College (GA), 10-4, in the opposite bracket. The winner of that match will face 11th ranked Washington University (18-5) in the second round.
