Lady Saints Finish 6th at Nationals

WACO, Texas – The Seward County Lady Saints finished their season on Wednesday, securing a 6^th place finish at the NJCAA National Tournament, the second-best finish in school history.

Patricia Panta fought hard to get into the Championship match in the No. 1 Singles draw, but in the end fell Celia Morel of ABAC.  She dropped the first set 6-2 but rallied in the second 6-4 to force a decisive third set.  Panta came close to completing the rally but fell in a tight 7-5 third set. With the loss, she will finish in 3^rd place at the NCJAA National Tournament.

After losing her opening round match on day one, Martina Borges overcame all odds to win three straight matches and win the No. 5 Singles Consolation Bracket.  She defeated Mariah Turney of Seminole State in a nail-biting 8-6 win to secure the title.

In doubles play, Maria Aveiga and Alena Macharova gave the Lady Saints a shot for another Consolation Title, advancing to the Championship round of the No. 2 Doubles Consolation Bracket with an 8-2 win over Jennifer Hundsnurscher and Tania Ramirez of Laredo. In the title match, Aveiga and Macharova ran away with the win, beating Meghan Houk and Lien Nguyen of Pima 8-1.

Seward finishes the tournament with 26 points to clinch 6^th place with one day to go.  Fellow Jayhawk member Cowley finished in the Top 10, as Cowley finished in 8^th place with 21 points, while Barton finished in 18^th place with 12 points. Tyler leads the pack with 45 points while Hillsborough is in second with 41 points.