Both UND tennis teams reach Summit League final

Apr. 25—TULSA, Okla. — The UND women’s tennis team got the day started.

The Fighting Hawks, seeded No. 3 in the Summit League tournament, knocked off second-seeded Omaha 4-3 to reach their first championship since 2023.

Then, the men’s team put the cherry on top.

The UND men’s tennis team beat Oral Roberts 4-1 to reach the Summit League men’s final for the second year in a row.

It added up to the best day for the UND tennis programs in the NCAA Division-I era.

Both teams will play for Summit League titles and automatic NCAA tournament berths on Saturday.

They’ve never reached a conference final in the same year as Division-I programs.

Both teams will have to contend with the league’s powerhouse, Denver, in the final.

The women play at 10 a.m. Saturday. The men play at 1 p.m.

It would take a major upset for either to win. Denver beat UND 6-1 on both the men’s and women’s side during the regular season.

This is the final year Denver is in the league. The Pioneers move to the West Coast Conference next season.

The women beat Omaha in the semifinal Friday afternoon at Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa by winning the doubles point and the bottom three singles positions.

The match was tied 3-3 and came down to UND’s Emma Roberts vs. Omaha’s Shannon Summer at No. 6 singles. Summer won the first set 7-5, but Roberts rallied to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-3.

“We knew going into this match that there would not be very much separation between these two teams,” coach Tom Boysen said. “Opportunities would be at a premium.”

The Fighting Hawks also received victories from Alva Norberg at No. 4 singles and Alyssa Giupponi at No. 5 singles.

In doubles, Ethel Li and

Jule Schulte

won 6-4 at No. 1, while Andrea Pineda and Norberg won 6-1 at No. 2.

“I am so happy that these young women were so willing to not be paralyzed by how much they wanted to win this match, but instead they turned it into fighting for each other and a common goal,” Boysen said.

It’s the second time the UND women’s team has reached the Summit League final.

The men rolled past Oral Roberts in the evening.

They grabbed the doubles point, then won three of the first four singles matches.

Leo Galliano

continued his impressive season,

moving to 18-2 at No. 1 singles with a straight-set win.

The Fighting Hawks also received singles victories from Darrshan Suresh Kumar at No. 2 and Christos Alex at No. 5.

“These guys truly want to put their own mark on the UND men’s tennis program,” Boysen said. “I am so happy that they are seeing success this soon.”

UND lost seven of nine players from last year’s squad, which reached the Summit League final, but is right back there this season.

“This team has grown up so quickly in a short period of time,” Boysen said. “They have embraced challenges head-on. There’s a learning curve to accept the fact that doing things the right way doesn’t ensure a victory, but it gives you a chance.”

This report was done remotely.