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Yellowjackets Qualify for NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships
BILLINGS, Mont. – Montana State Billings will be entering uncharted waters this weekend. The Yellowjackets will be heading to St. Cloud, Minn., May 8-9, to compete in the NCAA Central Region #1 tournament. This is the first time in school history that either tennis squad has qualified for the NCAA Championships.
The Yellowjackets are ranked No. 3 in the Central Region and will be facing No. 6 Minnesota State-Mankato in the first round on May 8. These two teams met Mar. 5 with the Jackets taking a tough 5-4 victory. The winner of the match will then play No. 2 St. Cloud State for the championship on May 9.
The Central Region #2 tournament will be held at Mesa State, May 8-9. In a rematch of the RMAC championship, No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney will take on No. 5 Metro State in the first round on May 8. The winner will then play No. 1 Mesa State for the championship on May 9.
MSUB (14-10) got off to a slow start losing its first six matches. Over the last three months, the Yellowjackets have been on a tear with 14 wins against just four defeats. The Jackets have notched a record of 5-2 against the five other teams in the regional.
“I’m glad that we made the tournament because these girls really deserve it,” said head coach Jerry Peach. “They are a great group of girls who work hard and really get along. We entered this season with an interesting mixture of youth and maturity. Five of our six single players have one year of experience at MSUB among them. Victoria (Fernandez) and Anne-Sophie (Tredet) have really stepped up as seniors in providing leadership.”
“After losing in the RMAC semi-finals, we are looking for a bit of redemption,” said coach Peach. “We are looking forward to the regional. We are very confident with what we can do. We have played every team in the tournament tough. This has not been an easy year for us, particularly with my health issues in the fall. I give a lot of credit to my son Jesse. He stepped in for me and we never missed a beat.”
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