April 27, 2008

NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- The Lamar women's tennis team defeated two-time defendine SLC champion Southeastern Louisiana 4-2 at the Schlief Tennis Complex on Sunday to claim its first-ever SLC Tournament title and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

With intermittent rain expected in the Nacogdoches area on Sunday, tournament officials decided to start the championship match with singles and play doubles only if necessary.

Lamar tallied wins at Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 6 for the victory, as Manami Kuroda and Kaltrina Harbuzi both came from a set down to win their matches.

Harbuzi sealed the victory with her 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 3 for the fourth point.

The NCAA Tournament will begin with first and second rounds, May 9-10 at campus sites.

A full recap will be posted shortly.