May 3, 2011

Results |  Photo Gallery 

Allendale, Mich. - The 14th-ranked Grand Valley State (31-0) women's tennis team defeated Ferris State 5-3 on Tuesday (May 3) at the Laker Tennis Courts to advance to the Round of 16 in the national tournament for the second year in a row. After falling behind 2-1 in doubles, the Lakers got victories from their bottom four singles players to send the team to Altamonte Springs, Fla. for the 2011 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships. The Lakers will face 5th-ranked Hawaii Pacific (18-5) on Wednesday (May 11) at 1:30 p.m.

Flipped from their previous match this season, the Lakers won the #3 doubles match 8-5 as Niki Shipman and Lexi Rice defeated Simpson/Diorio. The Bulldogs took the #2 doubles match between regionally ranked duos by an 8-4 score as Stanila/Flowers defeated Katelyn Schaffer and Alyssa Lucas. In #1 doubles, it took a tiebreaker for Ferris State's Ingle/Rheynard to claim a 9-8 (7-2) victory over Chelsea Johnston and Darylann Trout.

Facing a 2-1 deficit, the Lakers evened up the match with a quick 6-0, 6-1 victory from Lexi Rice over Simpson in the #4 singles flight. Ferris State jumped back out ahead with a 6-2, 6-1 victory in #1 singles as Tara Hayes dropped her match to Stanila.

It was all Lakers after that as Anne Marie Morin claimed a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Diorio in #6 singles and Chelsea Johnston took a 6-1, 6-2 decision at #3 singles over Rheynard to put GVSU on the brink of victory at a 4-3 score.

Darylann Trout was taken to an extra game in the second set of her match, as a back-and-forth battle resulted in Trout sending the team to the next round with a 6-1, 7-5 victory in the #5 flight of singles over Flowers. Niki Shipman was deadlocked in her #2 singles match at 2-2 in the third set before Trout claimed victory, as the #2 flight went unfinished with the Lakers assured of victory.

#14 Grand Valley State 5, Ferris State 3
May 03, 2011 at Allendale, Mich. (Laker Tennis Courts)