TULSA, Okla. – No. 3 North Dakota rallied from an early deficit to stun No. 2 Omaha, 4-3, in Friday’s second semifinal of the 2026 Summit League Women’s Tennis Championship at Michael D. Case Tennis Center, punching its ticket to the title match for the first time since 2023.

North Dakota grabbed the early momentum by securing the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 1 positions. Andrea Pineda and Alva Norberg opened with a 6-1 victory over Jacqueline Pearsall and Shelby Smith, before Jule Schulte and Ethel Li followed with a 6-4 win against Nina Wiese and Katelynn Kock to give the Fighting Hawks a 1-0 lead.

Omaha answered in singles play with a strong push at the top of the lineup. Smith fell at No. 4 to Norberg, 6-3, 6-1, but the Mavericks quickly responded with three straight wins to seize control of the match. Wiese earned a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 2, followed by Khayli Buckels’ 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 win over Li at No. 1. Kock then added a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 triumph at No. 3 to put Omaha ahead 3-2 and within one point of the championship match.

Facing elimination, North Dakota battled back behind a pair of gritty three-set performances. Alyssa Giupponi evened the match at 3-3 with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Pearsall at No. 5, setting up a decisive final court.

Emma Roberts delivered the clincher for the Fighting Hawks, rallying for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Summer Shannon at No. 6 to seal the 4-3 comeback win and send North Dakota into the championship match.

Up Next
North Dakota advances to face top-seeded Denver in the Summit League Championship match, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships on the line. The Fighting Hawks return to the title match for the first time since 2023, when they fell to Denver 4-0 as the No. 3 seed.

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