DETROIT -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's tennis team advanced to the Horizon League Semifinals for the sixth straight season after entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed and a 7-13 record, including 3-5 in conference matches.
 
The Titans earned a berth in the Horizon League Tournament's first round and a match with No. 3 seed Milwaukee. The Panthers had defeated Detroit 7-0 a week earlier in Wisconsin to close the regular season. The No. 6 seed UDM exacted revenge with a first round upset and a 4-3 win. Senior Amanda Cornwell secured the clinching point at No. 4 singles with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory.
 
“It was an unbelievable fight. We started slow in doubles but then did a very good job of thinking about what we can do better and the whole team was fighting through every point and making adjustments. The girls worked very hard and they earned the win today,” said head coach Pjotrs Necajevs following the match. Necajevs completed his first full season at the helm of the women's tennis squad after taking over in an interim role a year ago.
 
The second round saw the Titans fall in a 4-0 contest to No. 2 seed Cleveland State.
 
The dual-match season featured five girls on the roster until the stretch run in mid-March when senior Alyssa Korson, a four-year letter winner with the Titan women's soccer program, joined the team of Cornwell and four underclassmen.

Freshman Chloe Karoub led the team in singles matches with a 12-8 dual-match record and a 6-2 conference mark. For her efforts, she was named the team MVP. Karoub ended the year and began the conference tournament with wins in 11 of her last 14 singles matches.
 
Cornwell also fared well in singles play accumulating an 11-9 record, including 6-2 in the Horizon League. She also paired with sophomore Elena Strakhova at No. 1 doubles as the two went 5-3 in conference matches. Cornwell earned her second-ever Women's Tennis Horizon League Player of the Week Award on March 27 after a 6-0 overall week. Cornwell finished her three-year Titan career with 38 wins in singles play and added 39 victories in doubles contests.
 
Sophomore Raina Halabi and Karoub combined at No. 2 doubles for a team-best 6-2 record. Halabi spent most of her season at the No. 1 singles position that included a stretch of three wins over Wright State, Valparaiso, and Green Bay in four conference matches.
 
Strakhova was recognized with the team's Spirit Award, while Halabi was the Most Improved. Strakhova posted eight singles wins in dual-match play including an even 4-4 mark in league contests. Sophomore Julia Fernandes and Korson teamed up for an 8-5 doubles win over Valparaiso on April 6 while Fernandes captured back-to-back singles wins over IPFW and Chicago State on Feb. 24 and 25.