Women's Tennis | 4/21/2017 2:07:00 PM

Box Score
 
DALLAS, Texas – St. Edward's women's tennis claimed a berth in the Heartland Conference Tournament championship Friday as ANJALI SAMPATH clinched a 5-2 semifinal win over Dallas Baptist.
 
Sampath finished the day 2-0 with an 8-3 victory at No. 3 doubles and her 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 2 singles. BETH HAYWARD also went 2-0 with wins at No. 1 doubles and No. 3 singles.
 
St. Edward's (12-10) makes its third finals appearance in the last four years. Dallas Baptist (15-6) remains in line for a NCAA Regional tournament bid, currently ranked third in the South Central Region.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Sampath and ELISA GUILLEN gave St. Edward's a 1-0 lead with their 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles.
• Dallas Baptist tied it up with an 8-6 win on line two.
• Hayward and MARISSA WILLIAMS won three straight games to win 8-5 on line one and give the Hilltoppers a 2-1 lead.
• VALENTINA MARTINEZ dominated her opponent at No. 6 singles, 6-4, 6-2 to make it 3-1.
• The Patriots pulled within one as they won on line four, 6-0, 6-4.
• Hayward won in straight sets on court three to pull SEU within a point of victory.
• With the second set tied 4-4, and trailing 15-40, Sampath rallied to win two straight games and clinch the victory.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• St. Edward's is 18-2 in the all-time series with Dallas Baptist and has won nine straight matches over the Patriots.
• Hayward is 5-0 in singles against Heartland Conference opponents this season.
• The Hilltoppers are 8-3 in South Central Regional matches.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH KENDALL BROOKS
"I haven't let it all sink in yet. That went just as I thought. It was super competitive and really close on every single court. I'm really excited right now. Overall, I'm really proud of how my girls played and fought today. We'll enjoy it until lunchtime and start getting ready for tomorrow."
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's advances to the championship match Saturday at 9 a.m. to face the winner of St. Mary's and UA Fort Smith inside Turpin Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Live stats will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Score: #42 St. Edward's 5, #43 Dallas Baptist 2
Records: St. Edward's (12-10), Dallas Baptist (15-6)
Clincher: Sampath – SEU (6-4, 6-4)
 
For the latest information on the St. Edward's University Women's Tennis team, follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @SEUWTennis, or visit us at www.GoHilltoppers.com.