MARYVILLE, Mo. – No. 39 Griffon Tennis (16-4, 7-2 MIAA) wrapped up the regular season Wednesday with a 6-1 loss at No. 41 Northwest Missouri State (16-4, 7-2 MIAA) at the Rosewell Tennis Complex.
MoWest opened strong by securing the doubles point in dramatic fashion, earning wins at No. 1 and No. 2 to take a 1-0 lead into singles play.
At No. 1 doubles, the pairing of
Jevrosima Mitic and
Alejandra Ramirez Botella cruised to a dominant 6-0 victory. Northwest responded with a 6-4 win at No. 3 doubles to even the score, setting up a decisive match at No. 2.
Johanna Priedite and
Cristina Granero Boj delivered in the clincher, battling to a 7-5 win to secure the doubles point for the Griffons.
In singles, the Bearcats answered by sweeping all six matches to take control of the dual. Priedite pushed her No. 1 singles match to three sets after winning the opening set, but Northwest rallied for a 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory. Granero Boj also forced a third set at No. 3 before falling 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Mitic (No. 2), Ramirez Botella (No. 4), and
Ella Gates (No. 6) dropped straight-set decisions, while
Claudia Pastor battled in a three-set match at No. 5 that ultimately went to Northwest in a match tiebreak.
Despite the result, the Griffons close the regular season with a strong 16-4 overall record and a 7-2 mark in MIAA play as they shift focus to postseason competition.
What's Next
Griffon Tennis has already secured a berth in the MIAA Tournament, which features the top six teams in the conference standings.
The top two seeds receive first-round byes, while the No. 3 seed faces No. 6 and the No. 4 seed takes on No. 5 in quarterfinal matches on Friday, May 1. The semifinals are set for Saturday, May 2, with the championship match scheduled for Sunday, May 3 at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Missouri.
Final seeding and next match details will be announced following the conclusion of the MIAA regular season.
