ROME, Ga. — For the second consecutive spring, the Keiser Seahawks are the ITA NAIA National Women’s Team Indoors champions.
The top-seeded Seahawks met No. 2 Lindsey Wilson in the title match on Sunday evening at the Rome Tennis Center. The Blue Raiders hung an early 1-0 lead on the defending champions in a thrilling doubles matchup that came down to a tiebreaker on Court 2. Lindsey Wilson’s Martina Cortal/Mayra Gisone outlasted Keiser’s Veronika Grydnieva/Ella Sahnis, 7-6 (7-5), to clinch the doubles point, but the Seahawks were in complete command in singles play.
Keiser won all six first sets and erased the early deficit with quick wins on Courts 1 and 5. Violet Apisah, the Seahawks’ No. 1, evened the team score at 1-1 with her straight sets victory over Mayra Gisone (6-1, 6-1). Lena Couto gave Keiser its first lead of the night with a win on Court 5 (6-1, 6-0), and Patricia Apisah added to its lead with a win on Court 3 (6-4, 6-1).
Up 3-1, all eyes shifted to Court 2, where the Seahawks’ Alexandra Melnikova was closing in on a 6-4, 6-3 win that would seal another Indoor championship for Keiser.
Melnikova’s clincher delivered Keiser’s second consecutive ITA NAIA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships title and its third since the tournament’s inception in 2023.
The Seahawks were a dominant operation all weekend in Rome, outscoring their three opponents 12-1. They cruised past No. 8 Holy Cross College (4-0) in the quarterfinals on Friday and No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan (4-1) on Saturday before the 4-1 defeat of No. 2 Lindsey Wilson in the final.
The Blue Raiders, who placed third at last year’s Indoors, set up a championship appearance with wins over Georgia Gwinnett (4-0) on Friday and Southeastern (4-2) on Saturday.
Results:
First Round — Friday, February 6
No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan def. No. 5 Loyola, 4-0
No. 1 Keiser def. No. 8 Holy Cross, 4-0
No. 6 Southeastern def. No. 3 William Carey, 4-1
No. 2 Lindsey Wilson def. No. 7 Georgia Gwinnett, 4-0
Semifinals — Saturday, February 7
No. 1 Keiser def. No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan, 4-1
No. 2 Lindsey Wilson def. No. 6 Southeastern, 4-2
No. 5 Loyola def. No. 8 Holy Cross, 4-1
No. 3 William Carey def. No. 7 Georgia Gwinnett, 4-0
Championship/Consolations — Sunday, February 8
Finals: No. 1 Keiser def. No. 2 Lindsey Wilson, 4-
3rd Place: No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan def. No. 6 Southeastern, 4-2
5th Place: No. 3 William Carey def. No. 5 Loyola, 4-0
7th Place: No. 8 Holy Cross def. No. 7 Georgia Gwinnett, 4-2
The Rome Tennis Center will host the ITA NAIA Men’s Team Indoor Championships next weekend, with the first round of action set for Friday, Feb. 13 beginning at 8 a.m. EST. The championship is slated for Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5:30 p.m.
