TOPEKA, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College women's tennis team kept its hopes for a fifth consecutive KCAC Tournament title alive with a 5-3 victory over Tabor College Friday afternoon at Kossover Tennis Center.
The third-seeded Bulldogs (10-2) will face top-seeded Southwestern College (18-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Kossover Tennis Center. The two teams have met in the final each of the past two season with McPherson coming out on top.
McPherson jumped out to a 2-1 lead after doubles after taking both contested matches.
Zoë Bouwmeester (Zutphen, Netherlands, Isendoorn College) and
Deiah Curtis (Great Bend, Kan., Bethany College) grabbed the first point with an 8-4 win over Heidi Klaassen and Olivia Brubacher on court two, while
Brittany Zipf (Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, Emmaus College) and
Besa Bwalya (Hoisington, Kan., Hoisington HS)Â eked out an 8-6 win over Mandi Hiett and Jessica Emoto. Second-seeded Tabor (14-6) received a forfeit victory on court three.
The Bulldogs conceded points at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, putting the Bluejays back in front by a 3-2 score. Bwalya drew McPherson even once more with a 7-6 (0), 6-0 win over Naima Mexsen on court two. Zipf gave the Bulldogs the lead with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Emoto on court one. Emoto, who has been a nemesis for Zipf the last two seasons, had not lost to a KCAC opponent since her freshman year.
The match hinged on the results on courts three and four with both matches going to a third set. In the end, it was Bouwmeester who provided the clinching point. After dropping the opening set on court three to Klaassen, Bouwmeester bounced back to win the final two sets for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory. Curtis had similarly battled back after losing her first set to Brubacher on court four to force a third set before her match was abandoned.
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