FINAL RESULTS

MASON, Ohio – Revenge was the primary dish on the menu for Otterbein women's tennis Friday evening during a marathon, rain-delayed, back-and-forth OAC Tournament semifinal against Ohio Northern…

The Cardinals, having to overcome multiple elements across the five-hour period, ultimately prevailed to serve the Polar Bears elimination from the league's postseason event. Otterbein won by a 5-3 final count in the memorable slugfest, which began at the usual Lindner Tennis Center in Mason and ended up 30 minutes across town due to rain.

Otterbein not only exacts revenge from an earlier 5-4 loss to Ohio Northern earlier this season, but also strikes back after a losing a semifinal encounter with the Polar Bears during the last OAC Tournament in 2019.

As a result, Otterbein gets itself back into the Ohio Athletic Conference championship bout for the first time since 2016. The Cardinals, seeded third, will have a rematch with top seed John Carroll come Saturday at 2 p.m.

HOW IT WENT DOWN:
To begin Friday's action, Erin Storrer and Rachelle Moses threw up a quick 8-1 victory at first doubles against ONU. The other two courts were approaching a final homestretch when mother nature had other plans, forcing the match to be moved from the outdoor facility and over to the nearby Queen City Racquet Club indoors.

Both courts finally resumed after a rain delay of more than an hour (66 minutes in all). The veteran duo of Jordyn Traxler and Madi Mueller hung on the prevail 8-6, while Rachel Ferguson and Julia Gillin weren't quite as fortunate...

The Cardinal duo on court three held a late advantage across the weather transition, but saw Regan Landis and Katie Curry of ONU catch late momentum to snatch an 8-7 decision. As a result, Otterbein led 2-1 entering singles play.

Storrer once again made quick work of the opponent, chalking up a near perfect 6-1, 6-0 victory. Mueller followed with a steady effort on the second line, picking her spot en route to a solid 6-4, 6- triumph. The wins gave Otterbein a 4-1 team advantage in the race to five points.

The Polar Bears got one back with relatively-lopsided victories on courts four and five, sneaking back to within 4-3 on the main scoreboard and keeping things interesting.

Traxler ended up having the notable showdown of the night at No. 3, opening 6-2 in the first set before Landis countered with a quick 6-0 win of her own. That led into a winner-take-all third frame, in which the counterparts traded punches en route to deadlocks at 4-4, 5-5 and 6-6…

Traxler would end up with the last laugh and a final "let's go" proclamation, surviving to win the tiebreak 7-3 and push her team into the title showdown with JCU.

*NOTE: Julia Gillin was leading her No. 6 singles match, 1-0, in the second set (opening 6-4 victory) at the time of conclusion.

CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY:
The Cardinals won't have much time right now to enjoy the victory, as a quick turnaround will be in order against the Blue Streaks. First serve in the final is scheduled to take place less than 17 hours from Traxler's final point.