MINNETONKA, Minn. - No strangers to postseason play, the University of Mary Women's Tennis team made their fourth consecutive trip to the Lifetime Fitness Oakdale Village this afternoon to take on top-seeded Augustana University in the opening of the NSIC Tournament.
 
Unfortunately, the Marauders (6-11) were quickly dispatched by the Vikings (22-1) in the first-round bout that signaled the end of the 2016 season for U-Mary, putting any hopes of a return trip to the NSIC championship on hold until the 2017 season.
 
The doubles teams took to the court first in the tournament match as Sarah Janes and Meredith Holt took on Kornel Staniszewska and Jessa Richards at the number one spot, but the Marauder duo could not slow the Viking pair as Staniszewska and Richards took the first matchup of the day at 8-0.
 
The remaining doubles matches wouldn't fair much better, unfortunately, as the twosome of Anastasia Bruss and Monica Benda fell to Meredith Lawrence and Kaitlyn Motley at the three doubles matchup, but Catherine Gibbens and Eileen Leong fought tooth-and-nail in every point as the first six games went to deuces against Sydney Postal and Berkley Darr.
 
Alas, it wasn't enough to quell any momentum the Vikings had as Postal and Darr eventually completed the doubles sweep with a 8-1 final, putting the Marauders against a wall heading into the singles competition.
 
Janes took on Staniszewska at the one singles spot, but the Marauder wouldn't fair much better on her own as the Viking clinched the fourth win of the match at 6-0, 6-0 for top-seeded Augustana, putting U-Mary on the brink with a 4-0 team score.
 
The final match played to completion on the day was the six doubles matchup between Lawrence and Shanna Stevenson with the Viking clinching the matchup as 6-0, 6-1, sending U-Mary back to Bismarck empty handed.
 
Though the Marauders were unofficially swept in the contest, the lone bright spot turned out to be Gibbens at the two singles spot as she did everything in her power to will U-Mary to a win while leading with a 6-5 score against Richards in the first set, but her match would officially go down as unfinished to halt any hopes of recording at least one win on the trip to Minnetonka.
 
Despite the unfavorable result in the match, the Marauders do have an exceptionally bright future ahead as they return five of their starting six singles spots with Sarah Janes as the lone departing senior on the team. Janes was a key cog in the Marauders system for the past four years as she completes her tenure on the court with a 31-21 record.
 
U-Mary will also have two of their doubles teams returning to the court next year with Meredith Holt as the only unpaired starter in doubles competition as of now for the Marauders.
 
Augustana 5, University of Mary 0
 
Singles competition
1. Staniszewska, Kornel (AUGIE) def. Janes, Sarah (MARY) 6-0, 6-0
2. Richards, Jessa (AUGIE) vs. Gibbens, Catherine (MARY) 5-6, unfinished
3. Postal, Sydney (AUGIE) vs. Holt, Meredith (MARY) 6-0, 4-0, unfinished
4. Darr, Berkley (AUGIE) vs. Bruss, Anastasia (MARY) 6-1, 4-0, unfinished
5. Olivo, Christine (AUGIE) vs. Leong, Eileen (MARY) 6-1, 2-0, unfinished
6. Lawrence, Meredith (AUGIE) def. Stevenson, Shanna (MARY) 6-0, 6-1
 
Doubles competition
1. Staniszewska, Kornel/Richards, Jessa (AUGIE) def. Janes, Sarah/Holt, Meredith (MARY) 8-0
2. Postal, Sydney/Darr, Berkley (AUGIE) def. Gibbens, Catherine/Leong, Eileen (MARY) 8-1
3. Lawrence, Meredith/Motley, Kaitlyn (AUGIE) def. Bruss, Anastasia/Benda, Monica (MARY) 8-1
 
Match Notes:
University of Mary 6-11
Augustana 22-1
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,6)
 
NSIC Tennis Tournament Quarterfinal, 1-8 Matchup
 
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