“It was a battle today against a very good and determined Chicago State team,” said head coach Adam Reeb. “We got off to a great start, dominating all three courts in doubles. We then got two singles points but Chicago State really made us work for that fourth and final point. We stayed resilient and stuck to our game plans on each court and ultimately Barbara [Carey] clinched the match for us. It was a total team effort and I’m really proud of the girls. Now we have to prepare for New Mexico State tomorrow morning in the semifinals.”
First Team All-Conference duo Michelle Lui (Bellevue, Wash.) and Kelli Woodman (Denver, Colo.) started the Redhawks with a 6-0 win at No. 1 doubles before Kristen James (Lubbock, Texas) and Kailyn Skjonsby (Grapeview, Wash.) clinched the doubles point with a 6-1 win at No. 3.
Lui continued Seattle U’s offensive pressure with a straight sets victory at No. 1 singles before Sari Kwee (Honolulu, Hawai’i) tallied a win of her own in the No. 5 spot to put SU ahead, 3-0.
A battle to the finish, Chicago State’s Marnie Perez-Ochoa took Barbara Carey (Seattle, Wash.) to three sets, including a tiebreaker in the first set, but Carey was able to finish the match with a win and clinch the overall victory for the Redhawks.
As a pair, Lui and Woodman improved to 22-7 on the year, including 15-4 in spring duals while, individually, Lui has now won four of her last six.
The Redhawks advance to the semifinals to face No. 1 NM State on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. CT/7 a.m. PT.