Story by Kevin Alcox, G-MAC Assistant Commissioner for External Relations

CEDARVILLE, Ohio - The 2014 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Championships concluded on Saturday afternoon with the finals match-up between the top two seeds in the conference. #1 Davis & Elkins captured the conference title with a 5-3 win over #2 Cedarville.

The finals began with the three doubles matches, in which Cedarville quickly won the #2 doubles - Lily Schuler and Courtney Heydt - and #3 doubles - Maryssa Herbert and Kristen Heydt - by a score of 8-4 and 8-3. The Lady Jackets led early in the #1 doubles match, but D&E's Julia Hoehn and Natela Portshidze rallied to force a tiebreaker and took the match 9-8 (7-5).

As the teams went into singles play, the Senators knew they needed four of the six matches to win the title. D&E jumped out to an early lead, winning the first set in four of the six matches. Cedarville however, posted the first win in singles as the #5 singles, Herbert, won 6-3, 6-1 to pull Cedarville within two matches of the title.

The Senators responded winning #1 singles - Julia Hoehn - 6-1, 6-3; #3 singles - Natela Portshidze - 6-4, 6-4; and #4 singles - Jala Hassan - 6-3, 6-3 to take a 4-3 lead in the match. Cedarville's #2 singles, Lily Schuler held a 1-0 lead in sets, but before she could push the match to a deciding point, Davis & Elkins #6 singles, Erika Ridgway finished off the match and secured the championship for the Senators in an exciting three set match, 6-1, 5-7, 6-1.

Davis & Elkins finished the season undefeated in the regular-season at 7-0 and won both of its tournament match-ups on the way to the Women's Championship.