FRANCISCAN LOOKS TO REGAIN AMCC WOMEN'S TENNIS TITLE

The AMCC women's tennis championship kicks off this weekend as four teams take to the courts for the first round matches.  The tournament winner will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Franciscan University (10-3, 8-0 AMCC), the top seed, enters the tournament with a perfect 8-0 record in conference play. The Barons were 2014 AMCC champions, but lost in the semifinals in 2015. They will enter the courts this postseason with the hopes of regaining their title.

Baron sophomore Maria Binette leads the Barons with a 7-0 conference mark at the No. 2 singles position. Freshman Grace Hammel (No.3 singles) and senior  Claire Haddad (No. 4 singles) each racked up a 6-1 record, while senior Erin Coyne put together a 7-1 record between Nos. 5 and 6 singles. The Barons feature two different doubles partners that are both undefeated in AMCC action this year. The freshmen pair of Madelyn Conrad and Grace Hammel have been dominant at the No. 2 doubles position, going 8-0 during the regular season. Sophomore Taranee Karimpour and junior Maggie Vander Woude also feature a perfect 6-0 record at No. 3 doubles position.

2015 AMCC champion, Penn St. Behrend (9-1, 7-1 AMCC), has earned the #2 seed. Senior Chelsea Czerwinski (No. 1 singles) is 8-0 in conference play while juniors Celeste Bentley (No. 3 singles) and Kelly Miller (No. 5 singles) both enter the tournament with 7-0 records. No. 1 doubles partners, Czerwinski and sophomore Jacqueline Cannella, also have completed a flawless 8-0 regular season. Czerwinski was recently named the ECAC Corvias Women's Tennis Player of the Month for September.

La Roche College (6-4, 5-3 AMCC) burst onto the women's tennis scene this year as the #3 seed. The Redhawks, who did not make the playoffs is 2015, have earned the right to host a first round match. Junior Kylie Banister leads the Redhawks with a 5-2 conference record in singles, while senior Monique Cooper and sophomore Chardai Guthrie went 6-0 at the No. 3 doubles position.

Penn St. Altoona (5-5, 5-3 AMCC) has secured the #4 seed in the tournament for the third year in a row.  Senior Michelle Colucci is 6-1 at the No. 1 singles position, while freshman Brayley Lewis, the ECAC Division III Rookie of the Month for September, is also 6-1 at the No. 2 singles position. Colucci and Lewis have compiled a 4-1 record at No. 1 doubles. 

Pitt-Greensburg (4-5, 4-4 AMCC), the #5 seed, is led by senior Sydney Geary at the No. 1 singles position, and junior Amanda Jepson at the No. 2 singles position, both who compiled 5-3 records during the regular season. Geary and Jepsen also put together a 6-2 record at No. 1 doubles. 

#6 Mount Aloysius College (6-5, 4-4 AMCC) rounds out the field of six heading to the postseason. Freshman Katelynn Arnold has been the most dominant force for the Mounties, racking up a 7-1 record at No. 4 singles. Arnold and doubles partner, junior Ericka Klavuhn, compiled a 6-1 record at No. 2 doubles.  

First round matches will take place on Saturday, October 8, with #6 Mount Aloysius at #3 La Roche and #5 Pitt-Greensburg at #4 Penn St. Altoona. #1 Franciscan and #2 Penn St. Behrend will receive first round byes.

The semifinals and championship matches will be on October 15 and 16 at The Club/Sport & Health in Monroeville, PA.  Please visit the AMCC Fall Championships page for full championships coverage.