ROME, GA — For the second consecutive spring, the Keizer Seahawks are the ITA NAIA National Women’s Team Indoors champions.
The top-seeded Seahawks met No. 2 Lindsey Wilson in the title match Sunday night at the Rome Tennis Center. The Blue Raiders led 1-0 early on the defending champions in a thrilling doubles match that culminated in a tiebreaker on Court 2. Lindsey Wilson’s Martina Cortal/Mayra Gisone defeated Keizer’s Veronika Grydnieva/Ella Sahnis 7-6 (7-5) to take the doubles point, but the Seahawks had full lead in the singles.
Keizer won all six first sets and erased the early deficit with quick wins on Courts 1 and 5. The Seahawks’ No. 1 seed Violet Apisah evened the team score at 1-1 with her straight-set victory over Mayra Gisone (6-1, 6-1). Lena Couto gave Keizer its first lead of the evening with a win on Court 5 (6-1, 6-0), and Patricia Apisah extended the lead with a win on Court 3 (6-4, 6-1).
After the score was tied at 3-1, all eyes turned to Court 2, where Alexandra Melnikova of the Seahawks closed in on a 6-4, 6-3 victory that would seal another indoor championship for Keizer.
Melnikova’s clincher earned Keiser’s second consecutive ITA NAIA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships title and third since the tournament’s inception in 2023.
The Seahawks were a dominant operation in Rome all weekend, outscoring their three opponents 12-1. They cruised past No. 8 Holy Cross College (4-0) in the quarterfinals on Friday and No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan (4-1) on Saturday before defeating No. 2 Lindsey Wilson 4-1 in the finals.
The Blue Raiders, who finished third at last year’s Indoors, turned in a championship appearance with wins over Georgia Gwinnett (4-0) on Friday and Southeastern (4-2) on Saturday.
Results:
First round — Friday February 6
No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan final. No. 5 Loyola, 4-0
No. 1 Emperor defeats. No. 8 Holy Cross, 4-0
No. 6 Southeast Final No. 3 William Carey, 4-1
No. 2 Lindsey Wilson def. No. 7 Georgia Gwinnett, 4-0
Semi-finals — Saturday, February 7
No. 1 Emperor defeats. No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan, 4-1
No. 2 Lindsey Wilson def. No. 6 Southeast, 4-2
No. 5 Loyola def. No. 8 Holy Cross, 4-1
No. 3 William Carey def. No. 7 Georgia Gwinnett, 4-0
Championship/Consolation – Sunday, February 8
Final: No. 1 Emperor defeats. No. 2Lindsey Wilson, 4-
3rd Place: No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan def. No. 6 Southeast, 4-2
5th Place: No. 3 William Carey def. No. 5 Loyola, 4-0
7th place: No. 8 Holy Cross def. No. 7 Georgia Gwinnett, 4-2
The Rome Tennis Center will host the ITA NAIA Men’s Team Indoor Championships next weekend, with the first round of action on Friday, February 13, beginning at 8 a.m. EST. The championship is scheduled for Sunday, February 15 at 5:30 PM
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