Oct. 25, 2005

SAULT STE. MARIE - The Lake Superior State women's tennis team has entered uncharted waters after its exciting third-place finish at last weekend's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Lakers have a shot at earning their first-ever bid to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, but that means they will have to regroup in January and try to be back in top shape for a spring season. The GLIAC is one of only three conferences that play their competitive seasons in the fall, and NCAA Tournament bids are awarded in May.

"It's important that we play three or four more schools," LSSU first-year head coach Charlie Drury said. "The GLIAC is one of the strongest conferences (nationally), but it's not a gimme."

"It will be interesting to see how this turns out," GLIAC media relations director Jeff Ligney said. "We've had four or five teams come out of the GLIAC the last few years."

Eight teams advance to the NCAA regional. Automatic bids will be awarded to the GLIAC, Great Lakes Valley and West Virginia conference champions. The three leagues will also fight for five at-large bids.

LSSU finished fourth behind Grand Valley State during the regular season, but beat GVSU 5-4 in the third-place match at last weekend's GLIAC Tournament. If at least four teams come out of the GLIAC, then both teams will go, along with champion Northwood and runner-up Ferris State.

LSSU's No. 1 singles player, sophomore Celina Grondin, is already mapping out her strategy while hoping that politics don't diminish her chance to play in an NCAA Tournament.

"We need to rest a minimum of two weeks," she said. "In mid November we need to start training on a regular basis, and in January we need to start right away...To restart is different. We'll need to play more matches in the spring."

The Lakers' thrilling 5-4 victories over Mercyhurst and Grand Valley last weekend put them in this position. Their win over GVSU avenged a 7-2 regular-season loss.

"The last time we played Grand Valley, we were spent after the Ferris State match the day before," Drury said. "Realistically, we did everything that was in our reach."

LSSU was in a similar position during the GLIAC Tournament, as the Mercyhurst match went to the wire, and an exhausted Laker team had to play eventual champion Northwood in the semifinals later that day. LSSU and GVSU met at 11:30 the next morning.

"I don't think I've ever seen a team have two emotional matches like that in one tournament," Ligney said. "I live near the tennis center. I stopped by to get the morning results. I went to watch the entire Northwood football game and updated my web site. And when I got back to the tennis center the (LSSU-GVSU) match was still going on. It was unbelievable."

Against Mercyhurst, LSSU trailed 2-1 after doubles and was behind 4-2 after Nos. 2, 4 and 6 singles. Sophie Bedard, at No. 2 singles, picked up a big 6-3, 6-2 win despite playing with a sore elbow that plagued her throughout the season. She avenged a regular-season loss to MC's Jennifer Daly.

Nos. 1, 3 and 5 singles were the last matches to be played. Lakers Megan LaMothe (No. 3) and Alex Chiakmakis (No. 5) both won in straight sets, tying the match 4-4.

Grondin and Mercyhurst's Natalie Paparella split the first two sets at No. 1 singles.

"I was leading the third set 3-0, but she was playing really well," Grondin said. "Everybody was yelling. It was crazy. She was leading 4-3, then 5-4. I came back to tie it 5-5 and went ahead 6-5. Then it was 6-6. I won 7-5 in a tie-breaker."

Grondin was mentally and physically drained by the end of the match and said she survived on adrenaline.

LSSU wasted no time dwelling on its loss to Northwood and regrouped for a Grand Valley State rematch. The dual ended up being a seven-hour marathon.

LSSU was once again behind 2-1 after doubles, but Bedard and Megan Smith (No. 4) avenged their regular-season singles losses to give the Lakers a chance. The match was tied 4-4 with junior Alex Chiakmakis still playing at No. 5 singles. Chiakmakis lost the first set, 4-6, but won the second set 7-6 and sealed the team win with a 6-4 third-set victory.

"The entire GLIAC was waiting for us to finish," Grondin said. "It was exhausting. Sometimes it seemed like too much. Did we really do this?"

Grondin, a French Canadian who is a senior academically, went on to earn All-GLIAC First Team honors, while sophomore Megan LaMothe of Troy, Mich., received All-GLIAC honorable mention.

Grondin was forced to play No. 1 singles early this season due to Bedard's elbow injury. Her competitive drive was evident throughout the season as she improved steadily and relied on mental toughness, finishing with a 12-4 singles record. The multi-sport athlete, who runs sprints for the Laker track team in the winter and spring, is also an accomplished soccer and basketball player, and was a speed skater when she was a young girl.

Bedard, who is from Montreal, encouraged Grondin to come to LSSU. Previously Grondin was a business student at an English-speaking university in Quebec.

Grondin enjoys the challenge of playing different sports: pushing herself until she can't walk in sprints, relying on a team strategy in soccer or the mental toughness it takes to win at tennis.

"You can't just hit it hard and win in tennis," she said. "Tennis is a complete game."