Surprise, AZ-The biggest match of the year for Menlo Women's Tennis would be a down to the wire, three and a half hour slugfest between the Oaks and Firestorm. Earlier this year the two teams met in another close match that saw Menlo hold on for a 4-3 victory. Regardless, the Oaks pulled out the gritty win and will play for a conference championship tomorrow!

In doubles play the team was actually highly efficient in dispatching the Firestorm's pairing. Menlo won two of the three and did so relatively convincingly. The real battle would begin once the singles matches got underway. The Oaks two all-conference players would show the league why they earned such a distinction. Both Franziska Niederle and Valentina Urelli Rinaldi would find themselves in intense, three set matches. Yet, when it came time to seal the deal both seniors pulled out the victory. Niederle in particular would come down to overtime points in the third set to win. Meanwhile, Andrea Vlasceanu would also face a three set duel. She would drop the first set by a score of 2-6 but rallied to win the second and third by outsourcing her opponent 12-7. Lastly, Milana Hrudka was the lone Oak to win her match in just two sets. She was dominant, winning both sets by a score of 6-2.

Up Next…

A rematch with the fifteenth ranked Westcliff Warriors is now set for tomorrow. The Oaks have won 11 straight and are led by some highly touted players such as the newly named GSAC Player of the Year in Urelli Rinaldi. Yet, the Oaks were unable to defeat the Warriors in their last matchup. It will be a highly contested matchup that should be both entertaining and filled with some of the top players in the conference!