ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – The Grand Valley State women's tennis team makes their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2011 on Wednesday (May 22) when they face the Lynn Fighting Knights in the opening round of the 2019 final site. The Lakers draw the No. 14 seed, facing the third-seeded Lynn Wednesday at Sanlando Park.
 
GVSU used a 4-0 win over Hillsdale followed by a 4-1 victory over host Wayne State to advance out of the Midwest Region Two bracket. The Lakers are 23-4 overall this season and posted an 8-1 record in GLIAC play, riding an eight-match win streak into the Sweet 16. The Lakers have been led this season by Madison Ballard, who last week was named the International Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Region Senior Player of the Year.
 
Lynn is a perfect 24-0 on the season, outscoring their opponents 141-8 on the year, sweeping their way to a Sunshine State Conference regular season and tournament title. The Fighting Knights are led by the ITA National Senior Player of the Year Leolia Jeanjean. The French native spent three seasons at the Division I level, playing a year for Baylor University before a pair with the University of Arkansas.
 
The Lakers look to hand Lynn their first loss of the season and pull off the upset in their first trip to the Sweet 16 in eight years. The winner of Wednesday's match will face the winner of No. 6 North Georgia and No. 11 Queens (N.Y.) in the National Quarterfinals.