KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The top-ranked Armstrong Atlantic women's tennis team defeated Lynn, 5-1, to earn a berth in the 2006 NCAA DII Women's Tennis Championship Match on Saturday at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Mo. The undefeated Lady Pirates, winners of 60 matches in a row, will face No. 2-ranked BYU-Hawaii, who also comes into the match undefeated on the season after knocking off No. 3 West Florida, 5-1, in its semifinal match.
The Lady Pirates (30-0) dropped their first point of the Championships but won two of three doubles matches, then picked up three singles wins to clinch the match and earn a berth in Saturday's title tilt. Sophomore Iuliia Stupak, the ITA's National Player to Watch, defeated Alexandra Schunk, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 2 singles, while junior Dziyana Nazaruk defeated Gedvile Norkute, 6-3, 6-3, at No. 3 singles. Senior Caroline Grage won at No. 6 singles over Alejandra Boeker, 6-2, 6-4,
Armstrong Atlantic State advances to its second straight NCAA Championship match and eighth title match since 1995. The Lady Pirates picked up NCAA Championships in 1995, 1996 and 2005, while finishing runners-up in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2002.
Last year, the two teams met in the national championship with Armstrong Atlantic taking a 5-3 win over the Seasiders, ending BYU-Hawaii's streak of 130 consecutive matches won. BYU-Hawaii has won five NCAA DII women's tennis titles (1999, 2000, 2002-04) while the Lady Pirates have won three.