TOLEDO, Ohio – The No. 1 seed Toledo women's tennis team exacted its revenge against No. 4 seed Eastern Michigan in a dramatic 4-2 comeback victory in the semifinal match of the 2024 Mid-American Conference Women's Tennis Championships in Toledo on Friday.

Toledo (17-5, 9-1 MAC) will play No. 3 seed Miami (13-11, 6-4 MAC) tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. at the UT Varsity Tennis Courts for the MAC Tournament title and an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Championship Tournament. If inclement weather forces the match indoors, it will be played at Twos Athletic Club. The RedHawks advanced to the finals by defeating the No. 2 seed Western Michigan 4-2 in the day's second match.

The Rockets had to fight tooth and nail to defeat the Eagles, who were the only MAC school to defeat Toledo this season (4-3 upset on April 14 in Ypsilanti, Mich.). Senior Sloane Teske and sophomore Sanjana Tallamraju won the No. 2 doubles court in half an hour, but Eastern Michigan took the No. 1 and No. 3 courts to secure the doubles point and take a 1-0 match lead.

With Toledo now down 1-0, Teske did not waste any time to tie the match with a victory at the No. 2 court, the only match decided in two sets. Sanjana Tallamraju was shut out 6-0 in her opening set to Andrea Quiroz on the No. 3 court, turned the tables with a 6-0 shutout in the second set, and then won the decider 6-1 to push Toledo ahead 2-1. Eastern Michigan's Ksyusha Saenko was taken to three sets at the No. 4 court by senior Shalini Tallamraju and came out on the winning end of a three-set decision to tie the match at 2-2.

Three-time MAC Player of the Year Cassie Alcala had the comeback of the day in a key win t the No. 1 court. She took the opening set from Daniella Shved, dropped the second set 6-3, and trailed 5-1 in the third before battling back to win 7-6(4) and put Toledo at match point. On the other side of the fence on the No. 6 court, senior Julia Kuszynski forced a third set after falling 6-3 to Sabina Brichackova and winning the second set by the same margin. Kuszynski won a hard-fought volley with Brichackova for match point (6-2), and the rest of the Rockets stormed the court in celebration.

Tomorrow's match with Miami will mark the third consecutive season that two-time MAC Coach of the Year Tracy Mauntler's squad will play for a MAC Tournament title. Toledo fell to Ball State 4-3 in 2022 and again to the Cardinals 4-1 in 2023.

Toledo and Miami played in the opening round of the last two MAC Tournaments, with the Rocket defeating the RedHawks 4-1 in 2022 and then 4-2 in 2023.

MAC Championship Semifinals
Toledo 4, Eastern Michigan 2
Singles
1. Cassie Alcala (TOL) def. Daniella Shved (EMU) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4)
2. Sloane Teske (TOL) def. Prerna Vichare (EMU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Sanjana Tallamraju (TOL) def. Andrea Quiroz (EMU) 0-6, 6-0, 6-1
4. Ksyusha Saenko (EMU) def. Shalini Tallamraju (TOL) 6-3, 0-6, 6-3
5. Audrey Moutama (TOL) vs. Linda Eloundou (EMU) 6-7(3), 6-3, 5-6 unfinished
6. Julia Kuszynski (TOL) def. Sabina Brichackova (EMU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Doubles
1. Daniella Shved/Prerna Vichare (EMU) def. Cassie Alcala/ Julia Kuszynski (TOL) 6-4
2. Sloane Teske/ Sanjana Tallamraju (TOL) def. Linda Eloundou/Andrea Quiroz (EMU) 6-2
3. Sabina Brichackova/Ksyusha Saenko (EMU) def. Gaby Rondon/ Audrey Moutama (TOL) 7-6(3)