Tournament Central
WEST CHESTER, Pa.- With the regular season officially complete, the West Chester University women's tennis team (8-10, 6-1) has shifted its attention to the PSAC Tournament, which will begin on Tuesday afternoon on South Campus with a quarterfinal clash against third-seeded Bloomsburg (13-8, 5-2).

West Chester returns to the PSAC Tournament in search of its 10th consecutive PSAC Semifinal appearance and 11th in head coach Tina Tharp's tenure at the helm. Coincidentally, with a victory on Tuesday afternoon, West Chester would head to Bloomsburg later this week for a PSAC Semifinal clash against three-time defending Champion IUP in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon.

West Chester nearly duplicated its unbeaten run through PSAC East play in 2024 but was tripped up on the road by Millersville as the Marauders reclaimed the PSAC East Regular season crown. Outside of this setback, West Chester has looked in control once again, dropping just four points in its five PSAC East victories, with Kutztown (6-1) and Bloomsburg (4-3) being the lone teams to steal points from West Chester in its five triumphs.  

Sohana Thompson (Fairfield, Ohio/Seven Hills School), Yuno Oe (Yokohama, Japan/Nihon University Senior High), and Felicia Manful (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) have all been hard to beat in league play as Thompson enters the Tournament with a record of 5-1 in singles action, while Oe in 5-2 and Manful is 4-2. Gabriella Lerario Dos Santos (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Dante Alighieri) and Ashleigh Grooms (Newport, Ky./Summit Country Day) are 3-1 in league singles matches, primarily laying in the fifth and third singles spots, respectively. Tori Alexander (Norristown, Pa./Spring-Ford) is a perfect 3-0 in second singles play vs. PSAC East opponents. Delaney Tingle (Charlotte, N.C./Palm Desert High), who advanced to the PSAC Individual Singles Championship match this fall, Is 1-2 in PSAC East singles competition and 4-9 on the year overall, including a win over Frostburg State in the regular-season finale on Sunday.

In doubles play, the first doubles tandem of Alexander and Tingle have been among the best in the league, playing a record of 11-2 on the year, including a perfect 5-0 in league action. Grooms and Thompson are a stellar 6-2 in third doubles, including a perfect 3-0 in league matches, while the duo of Rachel Haupt (York, Pa./Central York) and Ellie Perrin (Chalfont, Pa./C.B. South) are also unbeaten in doubles at 4-0 in league play. Lerario Dos Santos and Amber Nguyen (Exton, Pa./West Chester East) enter with a record of 6-3 overall at second doubles, which includes a mark of 4-1 in league play.

For its part, Bloomsburg enters the Championships with a record of 13-8 and 5-2 in league action, falling only to West Chester and Millersville and dropping just six points in its other five league victories.

Lexi Quackenbush has played in the first singles spot for Bloomsburg for much of the season and has fallen in league play just three times during that time, losing to Tingle, Marketa Beladova (Shepherd), and Noelle Htwar (Millersville). Quackenbush has also been part of an excellent first doubles combination alongside Nicole Ilkovic, as the duo is 4-3 in league action. In singles play, Ilkovic has played in the second singles spot for much of the year and is 3-2 in league action, including a victory over Hui Jen Soo of Millersville on the final weekend of the regular season.

Dahsa Nakonecha has filled the third singles spot for much of the year for the Huskies and has played to a mark of 2-2 in league play, including wins over Shepherd and Shippensburg. She has also been a part of a strong second doubles combination with Lia-Sophie Seele, as the duo is a perfect 3-0 in league matches. Seele is 5-1 in league action in singles play, going 3-1 in fourth singles, while also earning victories in third and first singles vs Shippensburg and East Stroudsburg, respectively.

With a victory, West Chester will advance to the PSAC Semifinals against IUP, marking its 10th consecutive PSAC Semifinal appearance.