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Hillsdale College

Hillsdale's Megan Hackman returns a serve during a match against Northwood on April 12, 2025.
Austin Thomason, Hillsdale Colle

Women's Tennis

Chargers sweep Thomas More, 4-0, reach seventh-straight G-MAC Tourney semi

For the seventh straight season, the Hillsdale College women's tennis team is in the final four of the G-MAC Tournament.

The third-seeded Chargers dispatched sixth-seeded Thomas More in a G-MAC quarterfinal matchup on Thursday morning at Centre Court in Owensboro, Kentucky sweeping their way to a 4-0 victory.

The win sets Hillsdale up with a rematch with second-seeded Tiffin in the semifinal round at 10 a.m. on Friday, with a berth in the G-MAC final on the line. Tiffin earned the bye as a top-two seed and did not have to play in the quarterfinal round today.

Hillsdale earned the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead over the Saints with an excellent performance from seniors Libby McGivern and Courtney Rittel at No. 2 doubles. The veteran duo ripped through their Thomas More opponents in a 6-0 sweep, and the Chargers clinched the point with a win at No. 3 doubles by Julia Zlateva and Isabella Spinazze. Hillsdale also was ahead 4-3 at No. 1 doubles when the point was decided.

In singles play, sophomore Ane Dannhauser led the way with a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win over Thomas More's Alexis Covington at No. 1 singles. With all six courts in action at the same time, Hillsdale showed its depth with big wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles to clinch the match and allow the Chargers to advance. Zlateva had little trouble at No. 5 singles, dispatching Thomas More's Nicki Bauer 6-2, 6-0, while junior Megan Hackman also took a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 6 singles to put the match away.

The victory gives the Chargers an opportunity to potentially pull a season-defining upset. Hillsdale (14-8) was ranked eighth in the Midwest Region in the most recent NCAA Regional Poll, one spot out of making the NCAA Tournament, but a win over Tiffin, ranked fifth in the same poll, could be just the thing to put the Chargers on the right side of the bubble when the field is announced next week. It won't be easy, as Tiffin beat Hillsdale 4-0 in the regular season, but a closer look at that match reveals some hope for the Chargers, who lost the doubles point 2-1 and had close matches at No. 1 and No. 3 singles. On a day where things are breaking Hillsdale's way and the Chargers are playing their best, it's conceivable all three of those results could flip, creating a match that would come down to the wire. 


 
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Players Mentioned

Ane Dannhauser

Ane Dannhauser

Sophomore
Megan Hackman

Megan Hackman

Junior
Libby McGivern

Libby McGivern

Senior
Courtney Rittel

Courtney Rittel

Senior
Isabella Spinazze

Isabella Spinazze

Junior
Julia Zlateva

Julia Zlateva

Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ane Dannhauser

Ane Dannhauser

Sophomore
Megan Hackman

Megan Hackman

Junior
Libby McGivern

Libby McGivern

Senior
Courtney Rittel

Courtney Rittel

Senior
Isabella Spinazze

Isabella Spinazze

Junior
Julia Zlateva

Julia Zlateva

Freshman