DECORAH, Iowa (April 22, 2023) – Friday's tall task turned out to be too much for the Loras College women's tennis team as it fell 5-0 to top-seeded Luther College in the semifinal round of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Tournament.

The Duhawks (14-7) qualified for the semifinal round of the conference tournament for the second straight season on Tuesday when they beat Wartburg College on the road, but they didn't have the same fortune on Friday against the Norse (18-10).

Luther, which has won all 21 matchups in the series history, led 3-0 coming out of doubles play with 8-1, 8-3, and 8-5 victories. The 8-5 margin came at No. 3 doubles as the Loras pairing of Leia Papanicholas and Caroline Hutchinson put up Loras' best doubles fight.

Results at No. 2 and 4 singles clinched the first-to-five match for the Norse on a cold afternoon in Decorah. At the time of the clinch, two singles matches were prepping for or just beginning their third set as seniors Isabel Schwabe at No. 1 and Sara Backus at No. 3 had both claimed their respective second sets, but it was too little too late for the Duahwks to mount a comeback.

Luther advances to host second-seeded Coe in the conference tournament championship on Saturday at 1 P.M. in Decorah with the winner claiming the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament field.