Phoenix earn No. 18 seed in NAIA National Championship; Set to Face No. 15 seed Morningside

LEBANON, Tenn. - - The Cumberland women's tennis team will continue their season in the NAIA National Tournament, taking on No.15-seed Morningside in the first round.

The Phoenix boast a 10-9 record this year, taking down two ranked opponents en route to their Mid-South Conference Semifinals finish. Cumberland only dropped two matches in MSC action, falling to a pair of top-15 opponents in the then No.14 ranked University of the Cumberlands and No. 2 ranked Lindsey Wilson.

The highlight of the season for Cumberland came in February, taking down a pair of ranked opponents in a two week span, along with a conference opening win over Campbellsville at home, 5-2. Cumberland nabbed two All-Conference Honors along the way as well, seeing Elina Sungatullina earn a spot on the First Team and Maria Arbelaez on the Second.

This National Tournament bid will mark the first time since the 2018-19 school year that the Phoenix have made the tournament, a season where the Phoenix went 11-8 overall and fell to No. 11 seed Westmont College. In the last decade, the Phoenix have made the tournament a total of four times, including this season, and have not been able to make it past the first round yet.

Morningside and Cumberland have yet to face off with one another in any manner, though the Phoenix will have a tall task as the Mustang come into the tournament with a 26-1 record, only losing to Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament winner, William Woods. The teams have three opponents in common, both sides having taken down all three they share: UT Southern, Indiana Wesleyan, and Bethel (Tenn.).

The event will be held at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala., from May 12-16, for the 22nd-consecutive year (the 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19).

The field consists of 13 automatic berths and 11 at-large selections. Automatic qualifications are granted to conference tournament champions, while at-large teams were determined by the NAIA Tennis National Selection Committee (NSC). The NSC consists of coaches and administrators from around the country.

Keiser (Fla.) enters the championship as the No. 1 seed and will look for its second Red Banner.

The Bees of SCAD Savannah (Ga.) and the Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) are tied for the most tournament appearances in the field with 21. Louisiana Christian, Goshen (Ind.) and Stanton (Calif.) are each attending the tennis national championship for the first time in their program's history.

The Sun Conference and the Red River Athletic Conference are tied for the most representation at the event with four teams apiece.

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Players Mentioned

Maria Arbelaez: 5' 6"; Graduate Student

Elina Sungatullina: 5' 8"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Maria Arbelaez
: 5' 6"; Graduate Student

Elina Sungatullina
: 5' 8"; Senior