Box Score MINNETONKA, MINN. – In one of its best performances of the season, the University of Sioux Falls Tennis Team (8-8) advanced to the semifinals of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships for the second time in school history (2019, 2016) with a 4-2 decision over Winona State at Lifetime Fitness on Saturday (April 13).

No. 6 USF upset No. 3 WSU by taking two (No. 1 and No. 3) of the three doubles matches and then picking up three singles wins at No. 1, No. 5 and No. 6.  The Cougars, improved to 8-8 on the season while the Warriors ended their season at 9-8. USF turned the tables on WSU, which took a 5-2 decision at the Winona (Minn.) Tennis Center in league play on Feb. 22.

"It is a super exciting day," said veteran USF head coach Kevin Grebin, whose team will now face No. 2 seeded MSU Moorhead at 8 a.m. on Sunday (April 14) in the NSIC Championship semifinals. MSUM defeated Bemidji State, 4-0, in another quarterfinals matchup on Saturday.  "I can't tell you how proud I am of this team. We battled all day but did so with a confidence that is great to see," he said.

Case in point was USF's win at No. 1 doubles when Chloe Jefferies and Joelle Thorfinnson rallied from down 6-3 in the tie breaker to win at 8-6 and earn a 7-6 decision over Kaisey Skibban and Beth Murman. As a result, Jefferies and Thorfinnson improved to 3-0 as a doubles team this year.  USF also earned a 7-5 win at No. 3 doubles as Kelsie Sanders and Rachel Klatt defeated Brooke Holloway and Faith Young of WSU. In the earlier match with WSU, USF lost, 2-1 in doubles and flipped it around this time.

In singles, Jefferies, Sanders and Thorfinnson picked up wins. Jefferies won her fifth straight match and improved to 10-4 on the season with a 6-3, 7-5 decision at No. 1 singles over Murman. Thorfinnson also won her fifth straight singles match with a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Young. And, Sanders, who is playing in her final NSIC Championship, secured a 6-4, 6-4 win over Caitlin Anderson and improved to 5-6 on the season. She has now won three straight singles matches. Victoria Ambrosia-Cueto was also on the verge of a win at No. 4 singles as she led, 6-2, and 3-0 in the second set when the match ended with a USF victory.

"Our team entered play with the feeling that they could find a way to win and they did just that," said Grebin. "We had tremendous play all day and the ball seemed to bounce our way on point after point. It is a great feeling," he said.  

Singles --

1. Chloe Jefferies (USF) def. Beth Murman (WSU), 6-3, 7-5

2. Kendra Kappes (WSU) over Megan Quandt (USF), 6-4, 6-4

3. Kaisey Skibba (WSU) def. Lexi Miller (USF), 6-3, 6-0

4. Victoria Ambrosio-Cueto  (USF) vs. Tayla Card (WSU), 6-2, 3-0, unfinished

5. Joelle Thorfinnson (USF) over Faith Young (WSU), 6-2, 6-2

6. Kelsie Sanders (USF) def. Caitlin Anderson(WSU) 6-4, 6-4   Doubles --   1. Jefferies/Thorfinnson (USF) def. Skibba/Murman (WSU), 7-6 (8-6) 2. Kappes/Card (WSU) over Quandt/Ambrosio-Cueto (USF), 6-0 3. Sanders/Klatt (USF) def. Brooke Holloway /Young (WSU), 7-5