Women's Tennis is Headed to the Finals with a 4-2 Win Over HU

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Southeastern Oklahoma State avenges its regular-season defeat to Harding in the semifinals of the GAC Tournament, winning 4-2 to punch its ticket to the finals on Sunday.

SE held the early edge in the doubles round after the duo of Tania Sfilio and Sara Gonzalez made swift work in the second slot, winning 6-0 to put the blue and gold within striking distance of the point. The ranked partnership of #30 Jou Chen Chen and Carol Mora delivered the decisive win from the No. 1 line, defeating HU's top duo Karli Roux and Alexia Valdez 6-4 to give SE a 1-0 lead.
 
It did not take long for the Storm to stretch its lead in the match, as Gonzalez and Larissa Giraldi Correa turned in the first wins in singles play. Both won in straight sets, with Correa winning 6-1 and 6-0 at court three, followed by a 6-1 and 6-2 victory from Gonzalez at the No. 6 spot. The Lady Bisons would eventually get on the board from the No. 2 line to make it 3-1.
 
Harding continued to battle back, as they added another win on the No. 1 line to make it a one-point match, 3-2. With the pressure on, the final two matches of the contest were extended to a third set, and Amishi Shukla would jump out to a 5-1 lead over her opponent, Sofia Ruiz, at court five. HU's Ruiz won the next two games from there, but Shukla would hold off an attempt at a late rally by the Lady Bisons to secure the set-win 6-3 to clinch the final point of the match for SE, 4-2. 

Southeastern (16-5, 3-2 GAC) returns to the GAC Championships for the fifth consecutive year, as it looks to secure its fourth straight title against No. 1 seed Southern Arkansas on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. 
 
 
RESULT
 
Doubles:
No. 1 #30 Jou Chen Chen and Carol Mora (SE) def. Karli Roux and Alexia Valdez (HU) 6-4
No. 2 Tania Sfilio and Sara Gonzalez (SE) def. Natalia Alvarez and Itza Rogel (HU) 6-0
No. 3 Emilse Ruiz and Amishi Shukla (SE) vs. Sofia Ruiz and Madison Stafford (HU) 5-4 unf.
 
Order of finish: 2, 1
 
Singles:
No. 1 #12 Alexia Valdez (HU) def. Carol Mora (SE) 6-4, 6-3
No. 2 #47 Karli Roux (HU) def. Milana Voloshyn (SE) 6-4, 6-1
No. 3 Larissa Giraldi Correa (SE) def. Itza Rogel (HU) 6-1, 6-0
No. 4 Emilse Ruiz (SE) vs. Madison Staffrod (HU) 6-3, 3-6, 5-3 unf. 
No. 5 Amishi Shukla (SE) def. Sofia Ruiz (HU) 6-7, 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 Sara Gonzalez (SE) def. Natalia Alvarez (HU) 6-1, 6-2
 
Order of finish: 3, 6, 2, 1, 5