LOUDON, Tenn. – The Loyola Wolf Pack women's golf team took a break from their normal stroke-play style tournaments to play in the Faulkner Eagle Match Play Invitational this week, finishing in second place out of the eight competing teams. No. 10 Loyola advanced to the championship against No. 3 Dalton State, falling to the Roadrunners 4-1 to earn runner-up honors. 
 

Playing as the No. 2 seed in the tournament, the Pack had to finish up their semifinal match with No. 3-seed Milligan, as Kaitlyn Montoya helped move the team into the championship round. Blair McKenzie and Catherine Singletary had already claimed wins before Monday's play was suspended until Tuesday morning, which is when Montoya got the team's third win. 
 

In the championship round, Montoya was the lone Wolf Pack golfer to earn a win over a Dalton State competitor, beating her opponent 5 UP. The junior took a lead after winning the opening hole and she never relinquished it either, only falling into a tie twice after the fifth and seventh holes. Montoya would make the turn leading by one, then continued to push the advantage by winning the next four holes to wrap up her match. 
 

All other matches were close, too, as McKenzie went down 3&2, Singletary and Lainey Cristan each lost their match 2 DOWN, and Emma Smithers fell 3&1. Singletary had a slim lead after the first nine holes, but she and her DSU counterpart went back and forth a couple of times down the stretch until the Dalton State player prevailed. McKenzie, Smithers and Cristan all stayed within striking distances in their matches, but it wasn't enough to overcome their opponents' strong play. 

The women's team will now turn its attention back to stroke play, as the Wolf Pack will travel to the Alabama coast for William Carey's Gulf Shores Invitational Oct. 24-25. 
 

Loyola Women's Team Results

Semifinals
Blair McKenzie (Loyola) defeats M. TeVrucht (Milligan), 7&6
G. Hammond (Milligan) defeats Lainey Cristan (Loyola), 4 UP
Kaitlyn Montoya (Loyola) defeats K. Montoya (Milligan), 2&1
Emma Smithers (Loyola) ties K. Castle (Milligan)
Catherine Singletary (Loyola) defeats A. Perryman (Milligan), 4 UP
(2) Loyola defeats (3) Milligan, 3-1-1
 

Championship Match
M. Donahue (Dalton State) defeats Blair McKenzie (Loyola), 3&2
M. Buzzell (Dalton State) defeats Lainey Cristan (Loyola), 2 UP
Kaitlyn Montoya (Loyola) defeats E. Cress (Dalton State), 5 UP
C. Daniel (Dalton State) defeats Emma Smithers (Loyola), 3&1
S. Hermann (Dalton State) defeats Catherine Singletary (Loyola), 2 UP
(1) Dalton State defeats (2) Loyola, 4-1-0

Eagle Match Play Results

Quarterfinals
(1) Dalton State defeats (8) Point, 5-0-0
(4) Cumberlands defeats (5) Midway, 4-1-0
(2) Loyola defeats (7) Tennessee Wesleyan, 4-0-1
(3) Milligan defeats (6) Faulkner, 4-0-1

Semifinals
(1) Dalton State defeats (4) Cumberlands, 4-1-0
(2) Loyola defeats (3) Milligan, 3-1-1

Loser's Bracket
(5) Midway defeats (8) Point, 3-2-0
(7) Tennessee Wesleyan defeats (6) Faulkner, 3-2

Championship Match
(1) Dalton State defeats (2) Loyola, 4-1-0

Third-Place Match
(3) Milligan defeats (4) Cumberlands, 3-2-0

Fifth-Place Match
Midway defeats Tennessee Wesleyan, 3-1-1

Seventh-Place Match
(6) Faulkner defeats (8) Point, 4-1-0
 

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