Score: No. 1 Keiser Seahawks 4, No. 13 Cumberlands Patriots 1
Records: No. 1 Keiser (22-1), No. 13 Cumberlands (17-6)
Venue: Mobile Tennis Center
Location: Mobile, Ala.
No. 1 Keiser women's tennis rallied past No. 13 Cumberlands 4-1 in the quarterfinal of the NAIA National Tournament on Thursday at the Mobile Tennis Center, improving to 22-1 on the season. The Seahawks dropped the doubles point after winning on court one but stormed back in singles with wins on the top four courts.
- No. 17 Melnikova evened the match on court two, taking down Rosa 6-2, 6-1
- No. 1 V. Apisah kept the momentum going on court one, dismissing No. 18 Nagai 6-0, 6-1
- Always up for a three-setter, No. 68 P. Apisah pushed Keiser to the brink on court three, battling past Zarate 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
- Sahnis sealed the match on court four, outlasting Kojima 6-0, 3-6, 7-6(3)
- Courts five and six were not completed when the match was clinched; Aveiro led Hara 4-6, 6-4, 5-2, and No. 52 Couto led No. 55 Liu 6-3, 6-7(5), 4-3
When asked about today's result, Head Coach
Daniel Finn had this to say: "First off, congratulations to Cumberlands on a great season. That's a very well-coached and gritty team that I have a ton of respect for, and Coach Tan had his girls ready for a fight today. I'm really proud of the way our girls responded. We came out slow in doubles, and Cumberlands took full advantage early, but going into singles, the girls did a great job settling in across every court and continuing to push each other throughout the match. It's definitely fair to say our seniors stepped up in a big way and led the group with their performances in singles, but across the board the team found a way to get it done today. This wasn't about looking pretty. It was about getting in the mud, battling, and finding a way to advance. Now we'll get back, recover, and get ready for tomorrow."
On the confidence gained by the girls all continuing to rally in the third set: "A lot of confidence gained today. These are the kinds of matches that should give you confidence both individually and as a team. Like I said before, it's not always about looking pretty, it's about finding a way. Honestly, a few of those matches turned into exactly that in the third sets today. We came out playing really high-level tennis early on, but by the end it became more about competing, battling through adversity, and finding a way to close things out. I think that's a big reason why the girls were able to stay ahead in their matches when everything finished today."
On the help from the coaching staff: "I've got to brag on my coaching staff for a minute because they came through in a huge way today. I honestly don't know if we get through this match without the help of Coach Yassir and Coach Ali. They did an incredible job keeping the girls composed and helping guide them through some tough moments when things started to get dicey."
Yassir Kilani on his message to Sahnis in the tiebreak: "I was just trying to keep her calm and remind her to stay patient, and honestly, she did a great job executing."
Keiser advances to the NAIA Semifinals where they will face No. William Carey on Friday afternoon. First serve from the Mobile Tennis Center is set for 1:00 p.m. CT
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