Full Bracket
Quarterfinals Results
Semifinals Results
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – St. Scholastica women's tennis freshman #Ploy Suthijindawong# (
Bangkok, Thailand/Duluth Central) rallied to defeat the No. 2 seed in a tight match in the quarterfinals and then gutted out a semifinal victory at the NCAA Division III National Tennis Singles Championships, co-hosted by Oglethorpe University and Gwinnett Sports Commission.
Ploy faced Kendra Higgins of the University of Chicago in the quarterfinals. Higgins is the No. 2 seed and is the top-ranked player in the Central Region. Higgins, who is also a freshman, was named the Central Region Rookie of the Year and had a record of 22-5 during the season.
Just like yesterday's second round match, Ploy would fall behind by dropping the first set 6-4. She then jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but would fall behind 6-5. Ploy, though, would force a tiebreaker and send the match into a third set with a 7-3 win in the tiebreaker.
The third set would be just as tight as the match went into another tiebreak. Ploy would prevail and advance into the semifinals with a 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5) victory.
After the quarterfinal match, Ploy was battling cramps and had to fight through the pain in the semis. She would go up against the No. 6 seed Sarah D'Elia from Bowdoin College (Maine). D'Elia, a senior, is ranked third in the Northeast Region. She was the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Senior Player of the Year.
Ploy would not fall behind in the semifinals like she did in the previous two matches as she took the match overcoming the pain to win 6-2, 6-3.
Ploy now needs to just win one more match to become the first NCAA Division III National Champion in school history. She will go up against Lorne McManigle of Emory University (Ga.). McManigle is the No. 5 seed and played one, three set match against the No. 4 seed in the quarterfinals. McManigle will have a 24-10 record entering tomorrow's match. She is ranked second in the Atlantic South, according to the ITA.
The championship match will begin at 11 a.m. central time tomorrow.
