For the 11th straight time, the Armstrong women's tennis team is heading to the NCAA Semifinals after a convincing 5-0 win over No. 11-ranked NYIT on Thursday morning at Sanlando Park. For a second straight match, the Pirates were facing a team making its latest foray into the postseason, and immediately Armstrong took charge as the No. 8-ranked doubles duo of Marlen Hacke and Olga Kalodzitsa won their doubles match 8-2 in a very quick time - the other two doubles matches played for nearly 25 minutes more after the duo knocked off their opponents. It can't be said enough about how crucial it is to win all three doubles matches in a tournament format - psychologically and physically it represents a huge advantage, and an advantage that the other divisions don't have as both DI and DIII play the seven-point format where teams only get one point for all three doubles matches.
The Pirates will face either No. 6 Saint Leo or No. 12 California (Pa.) in the semifinal - those two teams are still playing as we post this - at 9:00 a.m. on Friday. Next up, the No. 5-ranked Armstrong men take on No. 18 Northwest Missouri State at 1:00 p.m. as the Bearcats are yet another team that is making its furthest appearance into the postseason. But until then, enjoy this picture of senior Aleksandra Filipovski after her first-set win in today's singles play !
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