GRANTHAM, PA. – The Messiah women's tennis team is set to begin the MAC Commonwealth Tournament tomorrow afternoon against the Lebanon Valley Flying Dutchmen. The Falcons closed out the regular season with an 7-8 record and 4-3 conference mark, earning them the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
Earlier this season, Messiah traveled to Lebanon Valley where the Dutchmen won 8-1. The lone winner(s) on the afternoon was the doubles team of
Kylie Walker and
Rebekah Sheaffer winning at the No. 2 doubles spot.
The Falcons will travel to Annville, Pa. once again to take on Lebanon Valley in the opening round of the MAC Commonwealth tournament on April 26. The opening matches are set for 4:00 PM.
See below for a quick preview of the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals.
No. 4 Messiah University Falcons, 7-8, (4-3)
Schedule Roster Stats
The Falcons earned the No. 4 seed this season after going 4-3 in the conference. The three losses included Lebanon Valley, York College and Alvernia. Messiah lost 1-8 to Lebanon Valley, 3-6 to York College and narrowly dropped a 4-5 decision to Alvernia.
The Falcons have had an impressive core in the middle of the lineup this season with
Kylie Walker leading the charge from the No. 2 position. Walker holds a 10-4 record overall and has only dropped one conference match on the year. No. 3
Isabella Heckman has also found success from court three for the Falcons, going 5-2 in conference play.
The Falcons are no strangers to having depth on the roster, with
Rebekah Sheaffer running a 4-3 conference mark from the No. 4 position while
Nicole Lee and
Angela Tozzi on courts five and six each own a 5-2 conference mark.
In doubles, the dynamic duo of
Kylie Walker and
Rebekah Sheaffer has offered stability in the Falcon lineup from the No. 2 doubles position. Posting an overall 8-6 record, Sheaffer/Walker are an impressive 6-1 in the conference this season. No. 3 Lee/Tozzi own a 7-4 mark in doubles overall and a 5-2 conference record as well.
Certainly capable, look for a full team effort against Lebanon Valley in order to knock off the top seeded Dutchmen in Wednesday's Semifinal.
No. 1 Lebanon Valley Flying Dutchmen, 14-3, (7-0)
Schedule Roster Stats
The Dutchmen are flying high after capping off their season with a perfect 7-0 conference mark. Outside of a close 5-4 win over York College, Lebanon Valley has had no trouble with the conference slate, dominating each match on route to their 7-0 record.
Lebanon Valley is deep all across the lineup. Nicole Honrade has gone 5-2 in the conference and owns an astounding 13-3 record overall from the No. 1 position. Sarah Kramer and Meredith Haas own perfect conference singles records while Livia Jackson, Madison Poladian and Eliana Shenk have only fallen once on the season in the MAC Commonwealth.
The same can be said for the doubles teams, as Lebanon Valley has started off matches with strong doubles play to compliment their singles games.
Previous Matchup
These two teams faced each other recently on April 14 where Lebanon Valley bested Messiah 8-1. The Falcons claimed court two doubles with Sheaffer/Walker for the lone win of the afternoon.
Tournament History
Seem familiar? These two teams faced under the exact same circumstances last year where Messiah traveled as the No. 4 seed to Annville to take on the No. 1 Dutchmen. Lebanon Valley swept Messiah 5-0 in last season's semifinal to end the Falcons season.
Lebanon Valley has had the number of Messiah as of late, winning the last four matchups dating back to 2021. Out of the last four matches contested, the Falcons have won only one court, which came this season on court two doubles with Sheaffer/Walker prevailing.
First Serve
The Falcons are looking to avenge an earlier season loss as they will travel to Annville, Pa. on Wednesday, April 26 to take on the No. 1 seed Lebanon Valley Dutchmen. The doubles matches will begin at 4:00 PM.
