MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — In a PSAC Tournament semifinals rematch, the No. 6-seeded Millersville women's tennis team is matched up against the No. 3-seeded Slippery Rock in the preliminary round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Marauders get an immediate chance at avenging their conference tournament loss to their western division foes after falling 4–0 in the second round. The series over the last two decades between the two teams has been all Slippery Rock, as the Marauders have not won in 14 matches dating back to 2005. This matchup marks the first time the teams will play each other in the NCAA Tournament. 
 
After winning the PSAC East regular season title with a 15–7 overall record and 7–0 conference record, the Marauders were bounced out of the conference tournament early. Millersville could never turn the momentum their way after falling behind in doubles play, with Slippery Rock winning the first two matches to go final. In singles play, the Marauders battled, but were unable to gain their footing as Slippery Rock marched on to win the first three decisions and advance to the finals. Despite what the final score said, head coach Matt Helsel believes there's lessons that can be learned and applied in the quick turnaround for the rematch.
 
"The women are good problem solvers and absolutely know how to compete," Helsel said. "On Friday, those matches got tighter as the match went on. Sido had a great second set, Jen was playing very well, and Lauren was right there with her opponent. If we're able to draw from that and tweak a couple things, it can certainly be a competitive match."
 
The Marauders will be vying for their first NCAA Tournament win in 19 years when they go up against Slippery Rock at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 10 in Indiana, Pa. The winner of that match will go up against the victor between the hosts and Shaw for a trip to Orlando, Fla.