SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State women's tennis team earned themselves a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship match by defeating Stony Brook, 4-3 in an exciting contest that went down to the wire at Cooper Tennis Complex.  
 
The match was decided in the No. 5 flight, where Alyson Piskulic won a hard-fought battle over Loreta Rubio of Stony Brook, 7-5, 6-3, to send MSU to its second MVC Championship match in the last three tries. 
  
"There was incredible grit and determination from the team today," head coach Hannah Keeling said. "I cannot be prouder of how the girls took challenge after challenge in stride. We came out with great energy, which gave us the edge with the doubles point. We are excited to be in the MVC Championship match tomorrow." 
  
Fueled by a raucous crowd of Bears supporters, Missouri State came out on fire by sweeping doubles play to secure the early 1-0 lead. Ellie Burger and Claire Martin defeated Stony Brook's Jaime Wei and Shasha Bekirova in the No. 1 spot, 6-4. MSU then clinched the doubles point in the No. 2 match as Piskulic and Hana Sisirak dispatched the Seawolves' Mathilde Sreeves and Nolwenn Cardoso, 6-2. It marked the 12th time this season the Bears have won the doubles point. 
  
SBU knotted things up with a win in the No. 4 position when Cardoso swept Mary Houston (6-1, 6-2). MSU answered courtesy of a Martin win in the No. 6 spot as she made quick work of the Seawolves Chandrika Joshi, 6-4, 6-1.  
 
In the No. 3 flight Tiffani Nash extended the Missouri State lead by sweeping Sreeves, 6-2, 6-3. The win was Nash's 15th of the season which ties the program record for most wins by a freshman in a single season. She now shares the record with the 2006 MVC Freshman of the year Nora Kuruc. 
   
Stony Brook struck back with a win in the No. 1 match as Wei defeated Sisirak (6-2, 6-4). In the No. 2 spot Burger fell to Bekirova, 6-3, 6-4, which tied the match at three. The Bears then sealed it with Piskulic's win in the No. 5 flight. 
  
With the win, MSU (12-9) will meet Drake in the championship on Sunday at 10 a.m. The Bears took the season's first meet 4-3 in Des Moines on April 18. The Bulldogs (10-8) upset No. 1 seed Illinois State 4-3 on Saturday morning. 
  
With a win tomorrow, the Bears will earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, which will be held May 16-28 at the UTSA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. 
 
Missouri State 4, Stony Brook 3 
  
Singles Competition  
1. Jamie Wei (SBU) def. Hana Sisirak (MSU) 6-2, 6-4  
2. Sasha Bekirova (SBU) def. Ellie Burger (MSU) 6-3, 6-4 
3. Tiffani Nash (MSU) def. Mathilde Sreeves (SBU) 6-2, 6-3  
4. Nolwenn Cardoso (SBU) def. Mary Houston (MSU) 6-1, 6-2  
5. Alyson Piskulic (MSU) def. Loreto Rubio (SBU) 7-5, 6-3  
6. Claire Martin (MSU) def. Chandrika Joshi (SBU) 6-4, 6-1  
 
Doubles Competition  
1. Ellie Burger/Claire Martin (MSU) def. Jamie Wei/Sasha Bekirova (SBU) 6-4  
2. Alyson Piskulic/Hana Sisirak (MSU) def. Mathilde Sreeves/Nolwenn Cardoso (SBU) 6-2  
3. Mara Presot/Mary Houston (MSU) vs. Lizzie Pam/Loreto Rubio (SBU) unfinished  
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,6,3,1,2,5)