Women's Tennis 4/29/2023 12:00:00 AM

Abington to Face St. Mary’s Tonight in United East Semifinals

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Abington, Pa. – The Penn State Abington women's tennis team will face top-seeded and regular season champion St. Mary's College (Md.) in the United East Conference (UEC) semifinals tonight starting at 7 p.m. This year's United East Tournament is once again being held at the Hershey Racquet Club in Hershey, Pa. The winner will face the winner of the Penn State Harrisburg/Lancaster Bible College semifinal in the championship match on Sunday.

About Penn State Abington (5-10, 2-3 UEC)
The fourth-seeded Nittany Lions are appearing in the United East Tournament for the 11^th time and has qualified for the postseason every year since joining Division III in 2011-12 except for the 2019-20 season when the tournament was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Abington finished with five wins this season, improving on last year's total, and went 2-3 in conference play.

Seeing Double
Abington has been successful throughout the season in doubles play, including in conference play where the Nittany Lions sported a combined 8-7 record. Junior Elisa Steinhardt and freshman Soniyah Youngblood finished conference play 3-1 at second doubles and were 7-3 overall. Steinhardt and Youngblood recently defeated St. Mary's duo of Sydney Anderson and Amber Manspeaker in the regular season finale, 8-4. At first doubles, juniors Tinatin Sadzaglishvili and Elizabeth Turner went 2-2 in conference play, while the team of junior Kelsey Patterson and Isabella DePorre finished United East action 2-2 at third doubles.

Singles Play
Sadzaglishvili had an impressive season at first singles as she finished 9-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play. Earlier in the week she was named to the All-United East 2^nd team for first singles. Patterson finished conference play at .500 with a 2-2 mark at sixth singles. In her first season with the Nittany Lions she finished the regular season with a 6-6 overall record.

About St. Mary's (8-4, 5-0 UEC)
The Seahawks finished conference play undefeated to earn the top-seed in the United East Tournament as well as the regular season title. The reigning conference champions are led by six all-conference players, including five that received first team recognition. Amber Manspeaker, at third singles, went 5-0 in conference play this year and finished 11-4 overall. Sydney Anderson (4-0) and Gisella Harris (4-0) also had unblemished marks in United East singles play. In doubles play, the duo of Ellie Walter and Harris finished 5-0 in the United East at third doubles and were 7-3 overall.

Abington in the Postseason
The Nittany Lions are 6-10 all-time in the United East/NEAC Tournament, including an appearance in the 2018-19 championship match. Abington defeated Lancaster Bible, 5-3, to earn the program's first conference title that year and its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.

All-Time Series vs. St. Mary's
Abington and St.Mary's are meeting in the United East Tournament for the second straight year and recently faced one another in the regular season finale a week ago. The Seahawks defeated the Nittany Lions, 7-1, in that match. St. Mary's is 3-0 versus Abington in the all-time series.

What's Next
The winner of tonight's semifinal match will take on the winner of Harrisburg/Lancaster Bible in the United East Championship match on Sunday. Match time is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Hershey Racquet Club.

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Players Mentioned

Isabella DePorre: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Tinatin Sadzaglishvili: 5' 6"; Junior

Kelsey Patterson: 5' 6"; Junior

Elisa Steinhardt: 5' 6"; Junior

Elizabeth Turner: Junior

Soniyah Youngblood: 5' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Isabella DePorre
: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Tinatin Sadzaglishvili
: 5' 6"; Junior

Kelsey Patterson
: 5' 6"; Junior

Elisa Steinhardt
: 5' 6"; Junior

Elizabeth Turner
: Junior

Soniyah Youngblood
: 5' 5"; Freshman