SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The PSAC Eastern Division belongs to the Millersville University women's tennis team. The Marauders swept Shippensburg 7-0 on the road Thursday to clinch the program's first-ever PSAC East title and the first championship of any kind since 2002.
The conference format switched to divisional schedules in 2003, and over the previous 18 seasons, Millersville had come close, placing second in the division four times, including in the 2021 season. The 2022 Marauders, now 14-6 overall, broke through with wins in their first six division matches. A match against Lock Haven remains, but Millersville's head-to-head win over West Chester secured it the tiebreaker. Five of Millersville's six PSAC East wins came by shutout. The Marauders will now have a No. 1 seed in the upcoming PSAC Tournament.
The division crown came in the fifth season of head coach
Matt Helsel's turnaround. He inherited a program that had posted nine-straight sub-.500 seasons and has produced a combined 28-13 over the last three seasons--one of which was cut short by COVID-19.
"It's a huge step for our program," said Helsel. "It's hard to believe this was even possible a few years ago. I'm so happy for the players to see what they are capable of when they believe they can. That's what I hope they take from this and hold on to the rest of their lives."
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
• There was little drama in Thursday's result as the Marauders dispatched the homestanding Raiders in convincing fashion. Millersville outscored Shippensburg 18-1 in a doubles clean sweep and dropped a grand total of four games in five contested matches.
•
Noelle Htwar and
Julie Wallace continued their dominant play in the No. 1 doubles slot with a 6-0 win, improving to 15-10.
Maria Ojeda and Chole Abramowitz also won 6-0 for their 12th win as a pairing.
Kelsey Heckert and
Aneesa Malik teamed for just the third time all season and won 6-1 in the No. 3 flight.
• Ojeda moved up to the No. 1 singles spot for the sixth time this season and improved to 5-1 in division play with a 6-0, 6-2 win. Htwar (No. 2), Wallace (No. 3), Heckert (No. 4) and Abramowtiz (No. 5) all won in straight sets. Htwar, Heckert and Abramowitz all picked up their 14th win of the season.
• Millersville improved to 40-23-1 all-time against Shippensburg with 23-straight wins.
UP NEXT
• Millersville closes its regular season on Saturday with a trip to Lock Haven where it plays a key regional match-up against Slippery Rock before closing the PSAC East schedule against Lock Haven.
