MOBILE, Ala. – A historic season ended for the Loyola Wolf Pack women's tennis team on Wednesday, as the 15th-seeded Pack dropped a second-round match to No. 2 seed Georgia Gwinnett at the 2023 NAIA Women's Tennis National Championship.
Loyola finishes its season with a 14-8 overall record, setting a new program best for the most wins in a single tennis season. This was also the second time in which the Wolf Pack women's tennis team has reached the second round of the NAIA National Championship tournament.
The Wolf Pack, which placed three on the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) All-Conference Team this season, also reached the final match of the SSAC Championship tournament for the first time.
Georgia Gwinnett, winners of the last six championships, features a few of the top 10-ranked doubles teams in the NAIA this season, but that didn't stop the Pack from competing well in doubles play. Lucy Carpenter and Fatima Vasquez had match point in their contest against the No. 2-ranked doubles team in the country, but their match went unfinished at 5-5. At court 2 doubles, Micaela Ponce and Avery Frierson came back to also tie their match at 5-5, though they ended up falling 7-5.
Carpenter and Vasquez carried their momentum into singles, with each going up against opponents ranked in the top five in the ITA singles rankings. Both Carpenter and Vasquez won their first sets, but the matches went unfinished as Gwinnett won on courts 2, 5, and 6 to take the match.
Leading the team in singles victories, Carpenter finished the year with a 13-6 record at No. 1 singles. She and Vasquez combined to go 12-5 at No. 1 doubles, tied with Micaela Ponce and Ariana Salgueiro-Estela for most doubles victories for any Wolf Pack pair. Ponce (10-6) and Adele Fereres (11-3) also had double-digit singles win totals.
"I'm extremely proud of our women for not backing down against one of the best teams in the history of college tennis. We played strong and got some first sets, and we were super close to taking the doubles point. Had we played that match out, it would have been incredibly close.
"This entire week and this entire process was a great learning experience for us. We get to bring this team back next year, and we're looking forward to new goals next year and making more history at Loyola. That's why we're all here. It's sad to end the season because we love playing together as a team, but we know we've got many more matches together and a lot more to prove."
You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
Results
No. 15 Loyola – 0
No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett – 4
Doubles
1. L. Carpenter/Vasquez (LOYNO) vs. #2 Lespes/Mataia (GGC) 5-5, unfinished
2. Fernandez/Siska (GGC) def. Ponce/Frierson (LOYNO) 7-5
3. #6 Carney/Koplova (GGC) def. E. Carpenter/A. Fereres (LOYNO) 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 2
Singles
1. Lucy Carpenter (LOYNO) vs. #3 Teodora Jovic (GGC) 6-4, unfinished
2. #5 Justine Lespes (GGC) def. Micaela Ponce (LOYNO) 6-0, 6-2
3. Fatima Vasquez (LOYNO) vs. #4 Tereza Koplova (GGC) 6-3, 1-1, unfinished
4. Adele Fereres (LOYNO) vs. Cassidy Mataia (GGC) 4-6, 1-0, unfinished
5. #13 Angel Carney (GGC) def. Elly Carpenter (LOYNO) 6-0, 6-0
6. Stephanie Fernandez (GGC) def. Avery Frierson (LOYNO) 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 5, 2
