Editor's Note: This is the second in a 10-part series recapping the Top 10 sports moments of the 2009-10 year at Biola as compiled by the Biola Sports Information Office. A new moment will be revealed each day with the top moment of the year announced on Friday, June 18. See the bottom of the page for a schedule of releases and links to past moments.
It may have looked like an April Fool's Day joke at first, but it was true: the Biola University women's team had pulled off a stunning upset, taking the final three sets to beat No. 18 Westmont College, 5-4, on a Tuesday afternoon in La Mirada.
The Eagles' victory was a major one, propelling them into the NAIA Top 25 for the first time in over a decade, a place they would remain the rest of the season.
Widely regarded as the toughest conference in NAIA women's tennis, the Golden State Athletic Conference routinely sends at least six of its nine schools to the NAIA National Tournament. Biola has struggled to break into that group of six and had not beat Westmont since 2004. However, everything aligned perfectly for the Eagles on that day.
Thanks to a come-from-behind win at No. 2 doubles, Biola held a 2-1 lead going into the singles competition. After Westmont took the first two singles matches completed, the Eagles roared back into the lead with three-straight wins capped by a 6-2, 6-3 win by
Alisha Hansen at No. 6 singles to secure the win.
Biola would finish the season with a 9-13 overall record and finished tied for sixth in the conference with a 5-11 mark. However the Eagles were unable to jump high enough in the final ranking to earn its first-ever berth into the NAIA National Tournament.
COMPLETE RECAP |
BOX SCORE
Top 10 Moments of 2009-10
#1 – Friday, June 18
#2 – Thursday, June 17
#3 – Wednesday, June 16
#4 – Tuesday, June 15
#5 – Monday, June 14
#6 – Friday, June 11
#7 – Thursday, June 10
#8 – Wednesday, June 9
#9 – Women's Tennis Upsets Westmont, Earns First National Ranking in a Decade
#10 – Women's Basketball Knocks Off No. 2 Point Loma Nazarene
