The No. 3-ranked and defending national champion Armstrong State University women's tennis team breezed their way into the national championship match with a 5-0 win over No. 7 Hawai'i Pacific in the semifinals on Friday morning. Sweeping the doubles helped the Pirates advance to their 15th national championship match - an NCAA DII record - and tomorrow Armstrong State will face old nemesis BYU-Hawai'i in the final. The Seasiders are unbeaten this season at 25-0, ranked No. 1 and had to battle in putting away No. 2 Saint Leo, 5-2, in the semifinals.
Armstrong State and BYU-Hawai'i have met seven previous times in the national championship match with the Pirates holding a 4-3 edge. The teams met in back-to-back years in 2012 (at the last DII Sports Festival in Louisville) and in 2013 in Surprise, Ariz., with Armstrong State winning both times. A win for the Pirates tomorrow would be their 10th DII women's crown.
The men, facing a stiff test against No. 1 Saint Leo, got a very quick 8-1 doubles win from Pablo Gor Costales and Ignacio Hernandez at No. 2 doubles, but the Lions got just a single break of serve at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, winning both matches 8-6 and putting the Pirates down 2-1 as we head into singles play. Watch the singles play via NCAA.com and hope that Armstrong State can dig deep and come back to join the women in tomorrow's Championship Saturday!
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