NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BOUND! Igarashi's Clutch Win Sends Catawba to Finals

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The Catawba women's tennis team advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship match on Thursday afternoon with a thrilling 4-3 victory over top-seeded Mississippi College in the national semifinals. 

After dropping the doubles point, the Indians responded with wins from Hanna Bougouffa, Liliana Drukerova and Sofia Antolini in singles play to even the match at 3-3 heading into the final court. Antolini battled to a three-set victory at No. 1 singles, rallying after dropping the opening set to secure a 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 win.

The national semifinal came down to No. 6 singles where Rin Igarashi delivered the clinching point in dramatic fashion. After falling in the opening set, Igarashi stormed back to win a tightly contested second-set tiebreak, 11-9, before taking the deciding third set, 6-3, to secure the victory and send the Indians to the national championship match.

Catawba's 4-3 win over the tournament's No. 1 seed capped another memorable postseason performance as the Indians earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis National Championship for the first time in program history. Catawba becomes the first SAC tennis team of any gender to advance to a National Championship. 

The Indians will now face Nova Southeastern in the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis National Championship match on Friday at 4 p.m. in Surprise, Arizona.