MOBILE, Ala.— The Montreat women's tennis team recorded its first-ever victory at the NAIA National Championship by defeating the No. 12-seeded University of the Cumberlands Patriots at the Mobile Tennis Center Wednesday afternoon. Battling scorching temperatures in addition to their opposition, the No. 5-seeded Cavaliers notched a 4-0 win to advance to the quarterfinal round of competition. With the result, the Cavs improved their already outstanding record to 16-5 on the season.
 
After receiving a bye to the second round, Montreat came out blazing in doubles play. All three pairings immediately jumped ahead of their Patriot counterparts to give the Cavs an early edge. Valerie Quiceno Ibarguen and Nicole Bueno collected a swift 6-1 triumph in the second slot, while Stephanie Petit and Carol Reis clinched the 1-0 advantage with a win by the same scoreline at the top doubles spot.
 
Riding momentum from an impressive doubles portion of the contest, the Cavaliers cruised in singles play as well. Bueno dropped only one game against her opponent in the No. 5 position, doubling Montreat's lead to 2-0 with a 6-0, 6-1 triumph. Mariam Bayatyan then finished off her opposition to bring the Cavs within one point of the program's historic win thanks to a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 6. After claiming the first set 6-3, Vaishnavi Venkatesh delivered the final blow at No. 3 to secure the match with a dominant 6-1 set score.
 
The Cavs, who only surrendered a single set all afternoon, limited the Patriots to three game wins in each set they captured. Montreat controlled the match from the onset, using five first-set victories to set the tone in singles play and snuff out any chance of a Cumberlands upset.
 
Women's tennis now faces the No. 4 seed, Indiana Wesleyan University, Thursday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. with a spot in the national semifinal on the line.
 
No. 5 Montreat College 4, No. 12 University of the Cumberlands 0
Singles competition
1. Stephanie Petit (MONT) vs. Tomomi Nagao (UCKY) 6-3, 5-1, unfinished
2. Valerie Quiceno (MONT) vs. Meiri Okuwaki (UCKY) 3-6, 3-0, unfinished
3. Vaishnavi Venkatesh (MONT) def. Johanna Beckmann (UCKY) 6-3, 6-1
4. Carol Reis (MONT) vs. Hana Shimeno (UCKY) 6-2, 2-2, unfinished
5. Nicole Bueno (MONT) def. Mikaela Fros (UCKY) 6-0, 6-1
6. Mariam Bayatyan (MONT) def. Fan Shiau (UCKY) 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 2,1
 
Doubles competition
1. Stephanie Petit/Carol Reis (MONT) def. Tomomi Nagao/Johanna Beckmann (UCKY) 6-0
2. Valerie Quiceno Ibarguen/Nicole Bueno (MONT) def. Fan Shiau/Satsuki Mitani (UCKY) 6-1
3. Sofia Rojas Osorio/Sofia Hernandez Mera (MONT) vs. Meiri Okuwaki/Tessa Gray (UCKY) 4-4, unfinished
Order of finish: 5,6,3