ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Lindenwood Women's Tennis team (8-7, 3-2 OVC) opened the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Friday morning with a 4-1 win over Western Illinois to advance to the OVC Tournament Semifinal round for the first time since becoming a member of the conference back in 2022-2023. The Lions were able to keep it close in doubles play, and added four straight singles wins to complete the season sweep over the Leathernecks. 

Lindenwood started off doubles play with a win at the two spot with Megan Caffin and Paola Garcia taking their match over WIU's Nour Gueblaoui and Nadezhda Petkova by a score of 6-4. The Leathernecks evened the doubles match at 1-1 after All-OVC Doubles Team Mana Fawcett and Jessica Hess took down Fabiana Labrador and Sofija Dunisijevic in a close contest at the number one spot by a score of 7-5. At the number three spot, Michelle Trochez and Mathilde Humbert took a 5-2 lead and was one point away from giving the Lions a 1-0 lead to start off the match, but Western Illinois battled back for a 7-6 (7-0) win to take the doubles point. 

Similar to the regular season, all four singles matches that the Lions won went to a third set. Labrador started things off for Lindenwood by tying the match at one after rallying from a first set loss to take her singles match at the number one spot by a score of 0-6, 6-1, 6-2. Dunisijevic would then give the Lions a 2-1 lead by also rallying after a first set loss with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory at the number five spot, and Humbert extended the lead with a three set win at the number six spot with a score of 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 7-5. Megan Caffin clinched the fourth and final point for LU at the number three spot with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 win to pick up her ninth singles victory of the season and helped the Lions earn their eighth win of the 2026 season. 

Lindenwood will now take on the #1 seed SIUE Cougars tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. CT in the OVC Tournament Semifinal round.