Phoenix Women's Tennis Set to Make Return to NAIA National Tournament Against Morningside (Iowa)

LEBANON, Tenn. - - The Cumberland women's tennis team has earned the No.18-seed in the NAIA National Tournament and is set to square off with the No.15-seed Morningside Mustangs.

Cumberland went the length of this season with a record of 10-9, facing off against a number of ranked opponents and NCAA competition. The Phoenix managed a pair of wins over ranked foes and fought their way to the Mid-South Conference Semifinals, where they ultimately fell to conference runners-up, University of the Cumberlands Patriots.

CU is led by senior standouts Elina Sungatullina and Maria Arbelaez. A pair of players with a strong resume pushing them all the way to their push for the national title. Sungatullina was named to the MSC First Team, her third MSC honor and the first First Team honor of her career.

Sungatullina was excellent in singles play as she went 10-6 overall, chiefly playing at the four and five spot in the order. Her most wins came on court four, going 6-4, while she was undefeated on court five, 2-0.

Arbelaez backed her up with a Second Team selection, her fourth time represented on an All-Conference team and her second appearance on the second team. The Colombian split time mostly on courts two and three, where she ended up totaling a season record of 9-6 in singles play.

Elsewhere in the Phoenix lineup, Madeleine Darud has maintained a positive record in singles action, going 7-6 overall, 2-2 in conference. The junior was a combined 5-2 on courts three, five, and six, while she also went 7-7 in doubles action alongside Asya Tilsim Timur.

Morningside contrasts the Phoenix with a trio of top-ranked individuals, including the No. 4 ranked singles player in the NAIA, Line Jensen. Jensen earned All-GPAC honors at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles alongside Brooke Marshall. Jensen won 32 of 35 singles matches dating back to this fall, and is ranked No. 3 in the latest ITA NAIA singles poll. Marshall also earned All-Conference recognition at No. 3 singles with a 13-3 record this spring. As a team, Marshall and Jensen went 16-4 this spring, including a current five-match winning streak.

The Mustangs had a Conference selection in each spot across the singles lineup, with Lara Heinrich (No. 2), Marshall (No. 3), Helene Kreibich (No. 4), Kailee Bailey (No. 5), and Stefany Simplicio (No. 6) each earning honors in their respective positions. Heinrich has won eight of her last 10 matches, while Kreibich has lost three singles matches all academic year.

This National Tournament bid will be 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.

Morningside and Cumberland have yet to play each other in tennis history, though the Phoenix will have a tall task as the Mustangs come into the tournament with a 26-1 record, only losing to Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament winner and fellow qualifier, William Woods (Mo.). The teams have three opponents in common, both sides having taken down all three they share: UT Southern, Indiana Wesleyan, and Bethel (Tenn.).

The winner of the matchup will move on to match up with a familiar face for the Phoenix, No. 2 Lindsey Wilson, on the following day.

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Players Mentioned

Maria Arbelaez: 5' 6"; Graduate Student

Madeleine Darud: 5' 5"; Junior

Asya Tilsim Timur: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Elina Sungatullina: 5' 8"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Maria Arbelaez
: 5' 6"; Graduate Student

Madeleine Darud
: 5' 5"; Junior

Asya Tilsim Timur
: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Elina Sungatullina
: 5' 8"; Senior