Surprise, AZ-Menlo Women's Tennis enters the postseason riding a nine match win streak that most recently saw the Oaks handle the Jessup Warriors with ease. Oddly enough, the Oaks would not have to wait long before seeing the Warriors again with the two teams matching up in the first round of the GSAC Playoffs. Regardless, the results would remain the same with Menlo pulling off a 4-0 sweep of their northern California rivals.

Strong Start in Doubles Play

Right away the match looked to be similar to the teams earlier duel. Menlo not only won the doubles point but did so in convincing fashion. Milana Hrudka and reigning Freshman of the Year Livia Harper would strike first on the day with an impressive shutout of their opponents. Winning 6-0 is an impressive feat and the perfect way to get the playoffs started! Not to be outdone, newly named GSAC Player of the Year Valentina Urelli Rinaldi and her partner Andrea Vlasceanu would also win in rather dominant fashion thanks to a final set score of 6-1 giving Menlo a 1-0 lead over their rival.

Success in the Singles

Rinaldi would also go on to win her singles matchup thanks to outsourcing her counterpart 12-4 across the two sets of play. Fellow senior and all-conference nominee Franziska Niederle also got in on the point scoring action winning her individual battle by an identical 12-4 final score. These two have been staples of Menlo's success over the past two seasons and give the Oaks a one-two punch that can match up against anyone. Lastly, Hrudka capped off an impressive shutout in doubles play with another shutout as an individual. On the day she would be responsible for scoring 18 points while not allowing an opponent to score once.

Up Next…

Now the Oaks turn their attention to ACU which should prove to be a big time test in the semifinals. Earlier this year the two teams faced off at the Cartan Courts with the Oaks pulling out the highly contested 4-3 victory. Now, with a trip to the championship match on the line, Menlo will have to dig deep and find a way to win when it matters most once again!