Youngstown, Ohio - The Youngstown State women's tennis team clinched at least a share of the Horizon League title with a 4-3 win over UIC on Saturday at the Boardman Tennis Center. A YSU win over Valparaiso on Sunday will give the Guins the outright crown.
A season after claiming its first postseason crown in school history, the program continued reaching new heights by winning the regular-season title, another first. The Penguins won for the eighth straight time, a school record, to improve to 14-8 overall and 7-0 in the Horizon League.
The victory was also the first over UIC (9-9, 5-2) at home in school history.
YSU opened the match strong winning two of three doubles matches. At No. 3, Sophia Macias Mendoza and Dominika Lackova picked up a swift 6-2 win. However, UIC knotted the doubles portion up with a 6-4 win at No. 2. At No. 1, Marta Burak and Julianna Heino won 6-4 to give the Penguins the point and a leg up in the match.
At No. 1 and No. 3, the Penguins picked up impressive wins, but the Flames hung tough in the other four singles tilts.
The first winner was Annina Brendel who won at No. 3. Brendel beat Oana Manole by a score of 6-1, 6-1 to improve to 6-1 in Horizon League play.
On her senior night, Burak closed out her match against Keti Mebuke by a score of 6-1, 6-2. It was the 29th straight conference win for her and 92nd of her YSU career.
The Flames made it difficult from that point for the Penguins to clinch.
Playing in a back-and-forth contest, Lackova rallied to win the first set 7-6 against Jackie Altansrnai. In the second, it again went to a tiebreaker and featured a back-and-forth battle. Altansrnai fought off two match points to get to the tiebreak. But Lackova won 7-4 to seize the win and clinch the victory.
The Flames won matches at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 for the outcome.
The Penguins close out the regular season on Sunday morning against Valparaiso. The contest is slated for 9 a.m. at the YSU Tennis Courts.
