The 2013 season has been full of historic firsts and unforgettable memories for the St. Catherine University tennis team that culminated with winning the first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) championship in program history last week.
 
Heading into this weekend's conference playoffs, Head Coach Ben Hageseth hopes his team will continue to play with the same intensity that carried the team a perfect 10-0 MIAC season as they prepare to compete for the playoff title.
 
“We have presented a pretty consistent message to the team about having intensity throughout matches and practices and the willingness to stay out on the court as long as it takes,” said Hageseth.
 
“More than that, it has been the team's commitment to making themselves better every time they step out onto the court.  These are the values that will definitely help us in the conference tournament.”
 
The Wildcats enter the MIAC playoffs with a bye in the quarterfinal round after wrapping up the No. 1-seed in the tournament and winning only the second MIAC title in any at St. Catherine in 30 years – something that's still sinking in for Hageseth and the team.
 
“It's pretty incredible and still a little surreal,” said Hageseth. “It's really a testament to the Wildcat tennis players, past and present, who have dedicated themselves to getting us to where we are today.  I'm so proud of our players.”
 
Among those players for the Wildcats is Victoria Bravo (Tucson, Ariz.) who enters the tournament as the top-ranked MIAC individual and boasts a flawless 10-0 record in No. 1 conference singles matches. In her first year as a Wildcat, Bravo lost just twice in singles play with both coming in non-conference play over spring break.
 
Sophomore Maria Koval (Green Bay, Wis.) also finished the season with a perfect 10-0 MIAC singles record and 14-2 overall record from the No. 3, while Michaela Burroughs (Waterloo, Neb.) went 7-3 in MIAC matches from the No. 2 spot.
 
The Wildcats will enter the tournament hoping for continued success in doubles after finishing with a 28-2 team record in MIAC matches behind the stellar play of Angie Lorenzen (Mitchell, S.D.) and Mikinzee Salo (Brainerd, Minn.) at the No. 3 spot. The pair was undefeated in conference play and lost just once overall in the team's only loss of the season to the University of Texas at Dallas.
 
Bravo and teammate Kylie Ketcho (Edina, Minn.) enter the tournament with a 9-1 record at No. 1 doubles with their only loss coming to the top-ranked MIAC doubles team of Anne Lombardi and Bridget Doyle of Carleton College by a score of 8-4.
 
And speaking of Carleton, the Wildcats defeated the Knights for the first time in program history by a narrow margin of 5-4 on Feb. 24. The Knights' only conference loss this season came at the hands of the Wildcats and places them as the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
 
The Wildcats also had program firsts with a 6-3 win over Gustavus Adolphus College on March 9, and a 6-3 decision over the University of St. Thomas on April 19. The Wildcats' 15-1 overall record is also a program best and the highest conference finish for a St. Catherine tennis team since 2004 when the Wildcats finished second.
 
The MIAC playoff quarterfinals begin Friday with No. 3 Gustavus taking on No. 6 Bethel University, while No. 4 St. Thomas will take on No. 5 St. Olaf College.
 
Following completion of the first round, the Wildcats will play the lowest remaining seed left in the tournament Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Gustavus' Swanson Tennis Center in St. Peter, Minn.
 
Additional information about the tournament can be found on the MIAC playoffs site as well as the MIAC preview. 
 
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