BURNSVILLE, MN – Returning to the Northern Sun conference tournament after a year's hiatus, the University of Mary tennis team faces top-seeded Augustana in the opening round at 2 pm on Saturday, April 21.
 
The two-day single elimination eight-team tournament is set for Saturday and Sunday, April 21-22, at the Lifetime Fitness in Burnsville, MN. The Marauders-Vikings winner will face the victor between Bemidji State and Minnesota Duluth at 8 am on Sunday. The championship match follows at noon.
 
The Marauders capped their regular season with a weekend split against Winona State and Upper Iowa on April 7-8, losing to NSIC runner-up 7-2 before beating the Peacocks 6-3. UMary finished the season 6-9 overall and 4-7 in the NSIC to claim the eighth and final playoff slot.
 
Freshman Tasha Dembo stepped into the Marauders lineup midway through the season and made a major impact. She went 7-2 at #1 singles and was 7-2 in doubles. The native of Zimbabwe was 7-1 at #1 singles when paired with senior Eileen Leong.
 
Leong finished her career with a winning season in both singles and doubles this season. She is 7-6 in singles and 11-3 in doubles matches.
 
The Marauders face an Augie squad that has won 99 consecutive NSIC matches, nine straight regular-season league titles and seven straight NSIC Tournament championships. The Vikings are also ranked fifth in the region.
 
The winner of the NSIC tournament earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Central Region Tournament April 28-29, where it will join the league tournament champions from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the Great American Conference along with the three highest ranked teams that were defeated in their respective league tournaments. Two teams from each of the eight regions will advance to the final site, which will be played May 8-11 at Surprise Tennis Complex in Surprise, AZ.
 


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