Match Results

MASON, Ohio – The Otterbein University women’s tennis team battled Ohio Northern, but were defeated 5-3 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championship Saturday afternoon at the Lindner Tennis Center.

The Cardinals (18-5) clashed on the courts with the Polar Bears (26-4) for nearly three hours, before top-seed Ohio Northern claimed the title.

Otterbein fell behind early after Northern claimed No. 2 doubles, 8-0, but evened things up behind the play of junior Julie Stroyne and freshman Sammi Kruger, who won No. 1 doubles 8-5.

However, the Polar Bears picked up an 8-5 win in the third doubles pairing to take a 2-1 lead into singles competition.

Stroyne and Kruger kept the pressure on Ohio Northern by winning No. 1 and No. 2 singles, but the Bears won No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 singles in straight sets to clinch the OAC title.

The Cardinals entered the match on the heels of a nine-match winning streak, and had not been defeated since April, 4 when Northern beat Otterbein 6-3.

The win grants Ohio Northern, who entered the match ranked 13th in the ITA Central Region, an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Tournament.

The Cards were playing in the OAC Championship match for the first time since 2010. The 18 wins by the Cardinals is the most in a single-season since the same 2010 team posted 19 victories.