Conference Tournament Page / 2010-11 Wilkes Statistics / 2010-11 Misericordia Statistics

No. 1 Wilkes (14-1, 5-0) vs. No. 2  Misericordia University (11-8, 4-1)
Saturday, April 30, 2011 / 10:30 a.m.
Ralston Athletic Complex / Edwardsville, PA

WILKES-BARRE – Top seed Wilkes University will host second seeded Misericordia University in the finals of the 2011 Freedom Conference Women's Tennis Tournament this Saturday at the Ralston Athletic Complex courts. The match is set to get underway at 10:30 a.m. The Lady Colonels are looking for their fifth straight conference crown.

Wilkes defeated the Cougars in their regular season meeting, easily winning 9-0 on April 21 at home. The loss for Misericordia was its only one to a conference opponent, finishing 10-8 on the season, 4-1 in the Freedom.

Melanie Nolt (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central), the two-time conference player of the year, will go at first singles for the Lady Colonels and will face Michelle Cameron, the Freedom's freshman of the year. Cameron did not play singles in the first meeting, so these two did not face each other as each Misericordia player was moved up one spot. Nolt carries an 8-2 mark at No. 1 this spring, going 5-0 in the conference, while Cameron is 10-4 at first singles, going 4-0 in the Freedom.

At No. 2, Katie Lynn (Berwick, PA/Berwick) will matchup with the Cougars Breanne Phillips. A first team all-conference pick, Lynn went 4-2 at this spot in the spring, including a 4-0 record against conference opponents. Phillips, who earned second team all-conference honors and lost to Nolt in the first meeting, is 10-4 at second singles this year.

Ally Kristofco (Hollidaysburg, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) will go for the Lady Colonels at third singles and will face the Cougars Ashley Mangabang. The two met in the semifinals of the fall individual championships, with Kristofco coming out on top 6-0, 6-0. Kristofco is a second team all-conference selection, going 5-0 at this spot in the spring, while also gaining experience at first and second singles, going a combined 6-2 there. Mangabang lost to Lynn in the first meeting, but carries a 7-5 record at No. 3 into this matchup.

Victoria Bybel (Lancaster/Lancaster Mennonite), another first teamer for Wilkes, will face off against Courtney Otto at the fourth spot. Bybel went a perfect 7-0 from this position in duals, including a perfect 5-0 against conference opponents. Otto has gone 6-7 at No. 4 this year, and lost to Kristofco at No. 3 in the earlier meeting.

At No. 5, Wilkes wins leader Alexis Donner (Belmar, NJ/Wall) will go against Cassie Foy. These two met in the semifinals of the individual championships, as Donner won easily, 6-1, 6-1. Donner, a second team selection, has won a combined 17 matches this year, including a 9-0 mark at the fifth spot this spring. Foy, who lost to Bybel at four in the prior meeting, is 9-4 at five this spring. She was also named to the second team for the Cougars.

Rebekah Shanaman (Richland, PA/ELCO) will go for the Lady Colonels at six, as she'll face Ellyn Wingert of Misericordia. Shanaman has also racked up a ton of wins this year, going a combined 16-3, including a perfect 6-0 at this spot in the spring. Wingert lost to Donner in the first meeting and owns a 3-6 record at No. 6 this spring.

On the doubles side, Nolt and Bybel will go at No. 1 and will face Cameron and Phillips. The Lady Colonels duo is 2-0 against this pair from Misericordia, winning 8-5 in the semifinals of the fall championships and took the regular season meeting, winning 8-6. Nolt and Bybel are 8-1 from this spot in the spring, including a 3-0 mark in conference. That loss in April was the only one for Cameron and Phillips in conference, as they finished with a 10-6 record at No. 1 this spring.

Kristofco and Donner will pair at No. 2 and will face off against Mangabang and Otto. This matchup has also been played twice this year, with Kristofco and Donner coming out on top both times, winning 8-4 in the finals of the fall championships and 8-6 in the regular season battle. Kristofco and Donner finished 6-2 at this spot in the spring while Mangabang and Otto went 10-7.

And at third doubles, Lynn and Anna Mitchell (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) will matchup with Foy and Jennifer Spott. The Lady Colonels won this pairing 8-2 in the earlier matchup, putting together a 5-0 mark together this spring while the Misericordia duo has gone 7-2.

The winner on Saturday will not only be conference champions, but will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA national championships.