Northwest Tennis Falls in Nationals

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – The Northwest Missouri State women’s tennis team ended its season in the opening round of the NCAA National Championships at Sanlando Park with a 5-0 loss to No. 18 Hawaii-Pacific. The women end with a 15-8 overall record in their fifth straight National Tournament appearance and 13th consecutive season in the NCAA postseason. Northwest fell behind 3-0 after the doubles round. Sophomore Jordan Lipira and freshman Veronica Castilla were able to record two points at No. 2 doubles against Ingrid Cseh and Elena Hudzikova, the most among any of the Northwest players. It was the first time the Bearcats were swept in doubles since facing Midwestern State on March 12. The Bearcats had little success in singles play, with both completed matches decided in straight sets. Lipira lost to Tinka Mihova 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 5 singles, followed by Castilla dropping the No. 4 match to Stephanie Bigom 6-0, 6-2. Northwest was trailing in the final four singles matches that went unfinished.