BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Fresh off their historic semifinal win over Wheaton on Friday afternoon, the Vikings took to the courts on Saturday morning against defending conference champion North Central. North Park looked poised to continue the winning streak from the last few matches of their regular season, and first two round victors in the tournament. However, North Central would prove their toughness, showcased by an undefeated record in conference, besting the Vikings 5-1 in the title match.
The doubles matches started off close with the Vikings taking early leads in 2nd and 3rd doubles. Having maintained a perfect record in doubles through the tournament so far, the Vikings brought aggressive high-paced match play to each of the three games. 1st doubles found themselves in an early 5-0 deficit. A late match surge from Alexandra Ristfeldt and Katarina Carlberg was not enough to overcome the strong Cardinal team.
The 2nd doubles team of Hanna Zethraeus and Carla Cazes, however, stayed ahead of their opponents and won a decisive 8-3 match.
With the 3rd doubles 8-4 loss, North Park headed into singles with a score of 2-1 in favor of NCC.This was the first set the Cardinals had lost in the CCIW playoffs since 2019.
1st, 3rd, and 4th singles all showed early signs of securing more wins for the Vikings. Notably, #1 singles Hanna Zethreus won the first set off her opponent from North Central, and was still up in the 2nd set when play had to be stopped at the end of the tournament. #4 singles Cazes won a hard fought 1st set in a tiebreaker, using a wide variety of shots and tactics against a very hard-hitting opponent.
"What an outstanding three days," said assistant coach Alice Copland. "Our student-athletes gave it their all out there and made NPU proud. Their support and encouragement for each other as a team was a huge factor during this historic weekend and. as a coach, that is what you want to see the most. Their collective determination got them to that finals match and I couldn't be happier with their hard-fought efforts."
"It was a fantastic tournament for the team, even with a tough loss in the championship match." said head coach Karl Soderstrom. "We were in contention in each of the final matches today, and fought hard until the very last point. The team showed such commitment to each other and their own improvement. It was the doubles that set every day up well. Every one of our doubles teams found great chemistry and a balance of skills to raise their game. Our victory over Wheaton in the semifinals was a highlight for all of us. Coach Alice and I are so proud of what the entire team accomplished this year. They really grew supported each other, improved their talent, and strengthened their mental game to compete at the highest level in the CCIW. With so much of our team coming back in the fall, we look forward to keeping the momentum going and returning to the tournament next year stronger and ready to win it all."
Additionally, three members of North Park Tennis earned "Elite 26" status by the CCIW. Ella Darrow, Felicia Sunden, and Maddie Starr picked up the important accolade on Saturday morning.
Modeled after the NCAA's Elite 90 program, the CCIW Elite 26 is presented to the student-athlete who excels academically and athletically at the conference level in each of the CCIW's 26 sponsored sports.
To be eligible for the Elite 26 Award, a student-athlete must be a sophomore, junior, or senior and in at least their second season of competition with their current team. Graduate students are not eligible. For sports where an individual is awarded all-conference honors at the conference championship (M&W cross country, M&W golf, M&W swimming & diving, M&W track & field, wrestling), the first team all-conference recipient with the highest GPA will receive the award. For sports that compete in a conference tournament (baseball, M&W basketball, bowling, M&W lacrosse, softball, M&W tennis, M&W volleyball), the student-athlete with the highest GPA from the first or second place team in the conference tournament will receive the award. For football, the student-athlete with the highest GPA from the first or second place team in the conference standings will receive the award.
