The Aquinas women's tennis team competed in the 2022 WHAC Tournament as the #4 seed on Friday (Apr. 29) at the Gainey Tennis Courts. In the #4/#5 quarterfinal matchup, the Saints narrowly defeated Lawrence Tech by a score of 4-3. Aquinas then advanced to take on the #1 seed in Indiana Tech in the semifinals and fell 0-4. AQ ended its season with a 10-14 record that included a 3-3 WHAC record.

Quarterfinals: Aquinas 4, Lawrence Tech 3

The Saints were able to gain the doubles point after taking two of the three matches over the Blue Devils. The first match to finish was the #3 doubles as Vanessa Heylmun and Jenna Hausman gained the 6-1 victory. LTU evened the score with a win in the #2 match with Carlota Arzabe and Mimi Pacheco fell 1-6. The deciding match was the #1 doubles with Sofia Gomez and Joska Volder coming through with a 6-2 win.

This match came down to the wire as both teams won three singles matches a piece to give AQ the 4-3 victory. The first match completed was the #4 singles as Pacheco was defeated 1-6, 1-6. The Saints bounced back in the #5 match with a 6-0, 6-3 straight match win thanks to Heylmun. It was the Blue Devils that took the lead at the halfway point as Arzabe fell in the #2 singles match 4-6, 1-6.

Aquinas fell even further behind and were on the brink of elimination with Gomez falling in the #1 singles 2-6, 4-6. Volder tied the match back up in the #3 match with a 6-2, 6-4 victory. The most exciting match of the day was the #6 singles as Hausman completed the match win with a 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 three set victory. 

Semifinals: Indiana Tech 4, Aquinas 0

Unfortunately the run came to an end in the semifinals as the Warriors cruised to a victory over the Saints. IT took two doubles matches for the doubles point as the third one went unfinished. Arzabe and Pacheco fell in the #2 match 1-6 as Heylmun and Hausman were blanked in the #3 doubles 0-6.

The #4, #5, and #6 singles matches were the ones that finished, but the Warriors won all three for the match win. Pacheco was upended 1-6, 0-6, Heylmun fell 2-6, 1-6, and Hausman was defeated 0-6, 0-6. 

In the WHAC postseason awards, the Saints finished with two women's tennis student-athletes on the WHAC All-Academic Team, which are juniors or above in academic standing with a cumulative 3.25 grade point average and have been at AQ for at least one full year. Aquinas' All-Academic honorees are: Vanessa Heylmun and Joska Volder.

Volder was also AQ's representative on the Champions of Character Team, as the Saints player that best represents the five core character values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership.