WICHITA FALLS, Texas (May 12, 2025) – In a fiercely contested NCAA South Central Regional dual, third-year program No.20 Lubbock Christian University saw its historic season come to a close with a 4-2 defeat to host and No. 3-ranked Midwestern State Monday at MSU Tennis Center. The top-seeded Mustangs secured their spot in the NCAA Division II Championships final site in Florida by outlasting the fourth-seeded Lady Chaps in a dual that hinged on tight third sets and high-stakes singles battles.
 
Midwestern State (21-3) struck first by sweeping the doubles point. The Mustangs jumped ahead with convincing wins at the No. 3 and No. 2 lines, taking down LCU's tandems 6-2 and 6-3, respectively. The highly anticipated matchup at No. 1 doubles between No. 21-ranked Andrea De Bernardo/Axelle Jacquemin (LCU) and No. 20-ranked Jessica Binzari/Anda Ghinga (MSU) was deadlocked at 4-4 before going unfinished, as the Mustangs had already clinched the opening point.
 
LCU (17-8), making its first NCAA postseason appearance, responded in singles with poise and purpose. After a quick result on court six, where Sydney Williams defeated Alexandra Luders 6-2, 6-2 in Luders' first career dual singles match, the Lady Chaps swung momentum with two straight wins. At No. 3 singles, Mariia Koroleva rallied for a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 win over Ghinga to put LCU on the board, notching her team-leading 21st singles victory of the season. Moments later, Andrea De Bernardo pulled off the biggest individual result of her season, collecting her first win over a nationally ranked opponent by outlasting No. 68 Hannah Yip 7-6(6), 6-3 at No. 2 singles. The victory gave De Bernardo her 19th win of the season and tied her for second-most singles victories on the team.
 
Tied 2-2 in the overall dual, the remaining matches tightened with postseason intensity. On court four, Oshini Herath pushed No. 32 Sofia Giraldo deep into a second-set tiebreaker after dropping the first set, but fell just short in a 6-3, 7-6(8) loss that put MSU back in front. All eyes then turned to the No. 1 singles line, where a top-30 battle unfolded between No. 30 Anastasiia Opolska and No. 6 Jessica Binzari. Opolska took the opening set convincingly, but Binzari mounted a comeback to close out the dual with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph, securing the clinching fourth point for the Mustangs. Court five, where Jacquemin and Garcia were knotted in a third set, went unfinished.
 
LCU's postseason run concluded with a 4-4 road duals record (on the season), capping a campaign marked by historic milestones. Koroleva's team-best 21-8 singles season was a highlight, while De Bernardo (19-10), Opolska (19-10), and AnaMaria Zoric (19-5) each posted standout seasons. De Bernardo also led the team in overall doubles victories with 21. Herath, who had entered the postseason on a 7-of-8 match win streak, battled well in her matchup against a ranked foe.