SUMTER, S.C. --- Queens University of Charlotte won all five singles matches and defeated Tusculum University 5-1 in the semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Championship tournament Friday morning at the Palmetto Tennis Center.
The 18th-ranked Royals (12-3), seeded second in the tournament, will play top-seeded Wingate (15-1) for the championship on Saturday at 9 a.m. after the Bulldogs defeated Carson-Newman 4-1 in the other semifinal match. The sixth-seeded Pioneers (11-8) went up 1-0 after doubles, but the Royals earned straight-set wins in all five completed singles matches to advance to the finals.
Tusculum took the doubles point from Queens by winning two of the three matches. Caitlin McCullough and Rory Church teamed for a 6-2 win over Kate Halickman and Katya Khramtsova at flight three, and Emilie Hansen and Amber Lackey provided the winning margin with a 6-3 win over Viktorija Veselinova and Caity Klaassen at flight two.
The Royals evened the match at 1-1 as Sasha Davidzenka defeated McCullough 6-0, 6-3 at flight three, and went up 2-1 with a 6-4, 6-0 victory by Veselinova over Hansen at flight two. Queens extended its lead to 3-1 when Klaassen defeated Paulina Loretz 6-2, 6-2 at flight four, and received a simultaneous clinch as Yana Fleyer beat Julia Lopez 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) at flight one just as Grace Forbes defeated Valentina Loretz 6-3, 6-1 at flight six.