GameDay Preview

ST. PETER, Minn. — McKennah Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.) has turned a few heads at the USTA-ITA Midwest Region Tournament this weekend, as the Saint Mary's University freshman cruised through to Sunday's singles semifinals, while also teaming with sister Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.) to reach the doubles quarterfinals.

McKennah Edwards opened singles play with a with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over UW-Eau Claire's Katie Gillman, and followed that up with an impressive 6-1, 6-0 triumph over Jennifer Roesch of Lawrence. It was more of the same in the round of 16, as Edwards outlasted Carleton's Anne Lombardi 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, before polishing off Gustavus' Laurel Krebsbach 6-2, 6-3.

“It was a great, great effort by McKennah,” said SMU coach Jeff Halberg, noting that Edwards will square off against UW-Whitewater's Alexandra Bayliss at 9 a.m. Sunday morning. “She's a very steady play, and that has certainly worked in her favor. She's got a lot of weapons in her arsenal and she's using every one of them this weekend.

“For her to be playing in the semifinals is outstanding.”

Things didn't go quite so well for Bailey Edwards, as the SMU senior — looking to reach the USTA-ITA quarterfinals for the third straight year — fell to Carthage's Hollis McPeek 6-4, 7-5 in the opening round.

“Tournament tennis can be cruel sometimes, and it certainly was for Bailey,” Halberg said of his senior. “(Bailey) got off to a slow start (Friday) and just never recovered. It's tough, because she's such a great player and you wanted her to go out (in her final ITA) on a high note.”

In doubles play, the Edwards pair were unstoppable in their first two matches, cruising to an 8-4 opening-round win over Maria Koval-Michaela Burroughs of St. Catherine, and recording an 8-5 victory over UW-Whitewater's Lauren Aguilar-Jackie Vitale.

That, however, was as far as they would go, however, as Carleton's Katherine Schmidt-Anne Lombardi handed the SMU duo an 8-3 setback in the quarterfinals.

“It was a good (doubles) run,” said Halberg. “They played very well together.”