Women's Tennis defeats Allegheny (Pa.) 4-0 in First Round of NCAA III Tournament as Cruser notches 100th career victory

Women's Tennis defeats Allegheny (Pa.) 4-0 in First Round of NCAA III Tournament as Cruser notches 100th career victory
Box Score
May 8, 2025

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The Ohio Northern women's tennis team defeated Allegheny (Pa.) 4-0 in the First Round of the NCAA III Tournament on Thursday afternoon.

| NCAA III Tournament site |

The Basics

  • Records: Ohio Northern (19-4 Overall), Allegheny (18-8 Overall).
  • Venue: Carnegie Mellon Tennis Courts - Pittsburgh, Pa.

Match Highlights

  • Ohio Northern won the doubles point by taking Nos. 2 and 3 doubles courts, then won the Nos. 2, 3 and 6 singles courts to secure the victory.
  • Senior Julianne Sheldon (Ashtabula/Saint John) and Junior Abby Cruser (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights) won 6-0 at No. 2 doubles.
  • Senior Miranda Wills (Ada) and freshman Lauren Okrainec (Ingersoll, ON, Canada/Homeschool) won 6-0 at No. 3 doubles to win the doubles point for the Polar Bears.
  • Freshman Leah Schleibaum (West Chester/Lakota West) won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 6 singles to make it 2-0.
  • Junior Jenna Bell (Latrobe, Pa.) then won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2 singles to give Northern a 3-0 lead.
  • Cruser then clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 3 singles.

Notables

  • Ohio Northern is ranked No. 45 nationally by the ITA.
  • This marks ONU's sixth NCAA III Tournament appearance. ONU now has a 4-5 record in NCAA Tournament play.
  • The Polar Bears won their second consecutive OAC Tournament title and their eighth overall in program history this season to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
  • ONU has won nine OAC Regular Season titles in program history, with this year being their first since 2015.
  • Ohio Northern is tied in the series with the Gators at 1-1, as AC won 6-3 in 2022 in Meadville, Pa.
  • Cruser has a career record of 100-59 and is the newest member of ONU's 100-Win Club.
  • Cruser leads the team this season with a 42-16 overall record, with Bell in second at 38-19.
  • Bell is 102-54 in her career and joined ONU's 100-Win Club on April 26.
  • Cruser and junior Jamie Hurst (Granger, Ind./Penn) lead the team with 25-5 singles records.
  • Wills, Bell and freshman Caroline Robinson (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) each have a team-best 19 doubles wins.
  • Hurst is 91-45 in her career and needs just nine more wins to join ONU's 100-Win Club.
  • Third-year head coach Sean Swisher is 52-15 at the helm of the ONU women's tennis team, a winning percentage of .776.

Up Next

  • The Polar Bears will return to action Friday at Noon in the Second Round of the NCAA III Tournament against No. 11 Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) or Penn State-Behrend.