ERIE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Grove City College won their 31st Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) women's tennis championship with a 5-2 victory over Allegheny College in the PAC Tournament Championship match Saturday at Westwood Racquet Club in Erie, Pa.

The second-seeded Wolverines (12-3) won matches at first and third doubles to take a 2-1 lead into singles. Grove City junior Janel McCray (Jessup, Md./Hammond) and junior Emily Ivory (Gibsonia, Pa./Mars) teamed for an 8-5 win at first doubles, while sophomore Courtney DeCarlo (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) and freshman Peyton Joines (Glen Rock, Pa./Susquehannock) scored an 8-5 third doubles win.

Top-seed Allegheny's doubles point came when senior Jean-Arlette Legrand (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Commonwealth Parkville School) and sophomore Maria Lounder (Pittsburgh, Pa./Moon Area) captured an 8-5 win on the second court.

The Gators (10-2) evened the match at 2-2 with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at fifth singles by freshman Rei Etsumi (Honolulu, Hawaii/President William McKinley). The other five singles matches were tightly contested before the Wolverines got on a roll. Grove City broke the tie when Joines was a 7-5, 6-2 winner at third singles and freshman Catherine Petrovich (Fox Chapel, Pa./IMG Academy-Fla.) put the Wolverines on the brink of the title with a 7-5, 6-2 victory at first singles.

Grove City would clinch the win and the conference title with a win at sixth singles. McCray dropped the opening set but rallied for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory to give the Wolverines their first conference title since the 2018-19 season.

Petrovich was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Tournament and was joined by McCray and Joines on the All-Tournament Team. Earning All-Tournament Team honors for Allegheny was Legrand and Lounder.

The PAC also released its 2023 Women's Tennis Sportsmanship Team following the tournament. The PAC Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior and are an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all PAC teams.

As this year's tournament champion, Grove City secures the PAC's automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Championships. Team selections will be announced Monday, April 29, 2024. The first round of the Division III Championships is scheduled for Friday, May 3.