Video of Championship Point Below
WILMINGTON, Del. - - Wilmington University is the home to back-to-back Regional Champions, as the No. 1 Wildcats took care of No. 5 District of Columbia, 4-1, in the NCAA Division II East Region 1 Tournament Championship on Tuesday afternoon at the Delcastle Tennis Center.
The Wildcats first broke through to the NCAA Division II National Championship Round of 16 last season after hosting the East Region 1 Tournament; and now have taken the same path to get back to Florida, winning another Regional Championship on their home court.
It started with the doubles play outside. Larize Nel and Fenna Swaan quickly disposed of their opponent at No. 3 doubles, 6-2, and then Alva Norberg and Marley Trifunovic followed with a win at No. 2 doubles, 6-3, to clinch the point and give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
The singles matches started but were quickly stopped due to rain. The match moved indoors at the Delcastle Tennis Center and after a brief delay, picked up right where they left off.
Larize Nel was first to finish for the Wildcats in singles play, defeating her opponent, 6-2 and 6-1, at No. 6 singles for the 2-0 lead.
The Firebirds (13-7) got on the board with a win at No. 4 singles, but it would end up being all they would get.
Marley Trifunovic gave the Wildcats a 3-1 lead with a win at No. 5 singles, 6-4 and 6-1. The west side three courts were all finished, so they all came over to the east courts to help cheer on for the fourth point.
It came rather quickly, as Alva Norberg was finishing off her opponent at No. 3 singles. Norberg battled back in the first set to a 7-5 victory, and then took that momentum into the second set and ran away with it, winning 6-1, to set off the celebration.
Both Neus Ramos Moreno (No. 1) and Jess Purdy (No. 2) won their first sets in their matches but went unfinished as the team gathered the fourth point to seal the match.
The Wildcats will now pack for warmer weather, as the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships will be held in Orlando, Florida, at the USTA National Campus starting May 11. The Wildcats will learn their opponent and match time at a later date.
