OMAHA, Neb. – College of Saint Mary clinched a tie for third in the final GPAC regular-season tennis standings on Saturday with an impressive 5-2 win over Northwestern College at Genesis Westroads.

It's the highest Great Plains Athletic Conference finish for the Flames since 2019, when they placed second. (There was no conference season in 2020.)

The Flames finished this year 4-3 in GPAC play, tied with Doane University. Morningside University won the league at 7-0 and Concordia University was second at 6-1.

"When I was first brought on with the school, we were lucky enough to have a great No. 1 player and a team full of outstanding students who also played tennis,'' said CSM Coach Mike Johnson, who is in his third season as the full-time head coach after one year as the interim head coach. "For me, this is the first time that I feel that the team works as a team. Each athlete has a spot and a role. We are competing, for the most part, at our ability levels against opponents each week, and we are getting results.

"To finish in the top half of the GPAC is a great move forward for the team and I am proud of the athletes and what the coaching staff has accomplished.''

CSM is the fourth seed for the GPAC Team Tournament, which will be April 23 and 25 in Omaha. The Flames will play fifth-seeded Midland at 8 a.m., while third-seeded Doane will meet sixth-seeded Hastings at the same time. Morningside, the top seed, and second-seeded Concordia receive first-round byes.

On Saturday, the Flames picked up the doubles point with a sweep. At No. 1, Callista Uchil and Noel Moreno beat Matilde Di Martino and Pietra Ferriera, 6-1. At No. 2, Abrianna Reynosa and Yana Gupta defeated Bryn Higginbotham and Madalyn Kolb, 6-3. And at No. 3, Iyaanah Pardiwalla and Carolyna Truong downed Alloree Else and Hannah Beckloff, 6-2.

CSM won four of the six singles matches. At No. 1, Uchil got past Di Martino 7-5, 6-1. At No. 3, Pardiwalla swept Else 6-2, 6-2. At No. 4, Gupta took down Kolb 6-4, 6-0. And at No. 5, Truong edged Higginbotham 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (5).

At No. 2, Northwestern's Ferriera defeated Moreno 7-5, 6-3, and at No. 6, the Red Raiders' Beckloff beat Darece Van Auken 6-2, 6-4.

"Callista played a tough first set and battled to a win, and then cruised through an easy second set,'' CSM Assistant Coach Rachel Southard said. "Lyna had to change her game up to battle back to win the first and again to battle back in the third-set tiebreak. She was consistent and played strong.''