DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern will set out in search of a Great American Conference title beginning April 18 when it opens play in the GAC tournament as the No. 3 seed facing sixth-seeded Ouachita Baptist at 10 a.m. in Bentonville, Ark.
The Savage Storm earned the No. 3 seed after finishing the conference schedule with a 3-2 record, while posting a 7-13 mark overall on the season.
One of those victories in conference play was a 9-0 win over its first round opponent OBU.
In their earlier season matchup in Durant, SE took every match in straight sets.
The Tigers were playing with an incomplete lineup which staked the Storm to a 2-0 lead from the outset with a win in doubles and a win in singles, but the duo of
Conchi Assiego and
Darija Catipovic picked up an 8-4 win at one doubles, followed by an 8-0 win at number tow by
Brittany Tobin and
Ilga Racika-Racko.
Catipovic added a single win at number one, 6-4, 6-0, which was followed by Racika-Racko's 6-0, 6-0 victory at number two which clinched the win.
Assiego followed suit with a 6-2, 6-2 win at number three, followed by a 6-1, 6-1 win by
Elba Haugen and a 6-0, 6-0 win by Tobin at four and five, respectively.
The squad is paced by Catipovic who comes into the tournament fresh off a selection for second team All-GAC.
On the year she posted eight doubles wins working at both two and three doubles throughout the season, including a 3-2 mark against GAC foes. She is currently on a three-match winning streak with partner Assiego.
In singles play she has picked up six victories while playing at the top of the order, including a pair of wins in conference play, both coming in straight sets.
A win over OBU would earn the Storm a trip to the second round to face Arkansas Tech at 4 p.m. on April 18, with the winner of that matchup advancing to the championship at 2 p.m. on April 19.
