RADFORD, Va. – Top-seeded Winthrop women's tennis (15-7, 9-0 Big South) bested No. 4 Campbell (13-11, 6-3) in the Big South Conference Championship semifinals Thursday evening 4-1. The Eagles advance to the championship match for the fourth-consecutive season and 23^rd time overall, taking on sixth-seed Radford on Friday at 12 p.m.  

HOW IT HAPPENED 
-No. 43 Megan Kauffman and Lauren Proctor quickly avenged their lone conference loss, dispatching Campbell's Ana Castillo and Lou Regen 6-2 to open the doubles contest for the Eagles at court one. The Camels evened the score with a 6-2 win at the third position as Inma Ramon and Isabel Boada downed Ellie Burns and Tayla Van Eck. The point decision would come down to the outcome at court two. Alisa Soloveva and Rafaela Santos held a narrow 4-3 edge, but were unable to hold off Lucile Pons and Lea Cutura who went up a break for a 6-4 win and the team point.
 
-In singles play, No. 55 Proctor scored the Eagles first point for the *** time this season with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 victory over Castillo. In the regular season match-up with Campbell, Proctor defeated Regen at the No. 1 position 6-3, 6-2.
 
-For the second-consecutive match, Van Eck posted the Eagles second singles point from the No. 5 position, earning a straight-set win over Pauline Roustan 6-1, 6-1. Van Eck also won her regular-season match-up against Campbell, defeating Alexandra Nicoara 6-1, 6-4.
 
-Kauffman pushed the Eagles' lead to 3-1 with a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 3 over Lea Cutura, a welcome victory for the senior after losing to Cutura in a third-set tiebreaker decision in the regular season.
 
-Burns would clinch team victory for Winthrop from the sixth court with another straight-set win. After downing Nicoara 6-2 in the first set, the two were neck-and-neck in the second at 3-3 and 4-4. Burns pulled ahead for an advantage at 6-5, and came away with the 7-5 set and match.
 
-In unfinished matches, Soloveva defeated Regen 6-3 in the first set and was leading 4-2 in the second at court two. Santos fell 6-4 to Ramon in her first set, but bounced back to take the second 6-3.
  
NOTABLES
-The Eagles will be making their 23rd appearance in the Big South Conference Championship final match (since 1994.)
 
-Winthrop has won 20 tournament championships overall, including the past three-consecutive seasons. No other league member, current or former, has won more than three titles.
 
-The Eagles are 3-1 against the Highlanders in the Big South tournament all-time.
 
-Radford has one conference championship in its history (1990) and will be making its first-ever appearance in the tournament championship final match.
 
UP NEXT
The Big South Conference Championship match is set for Friday at 12 p.m. Winthrop will take on sixth-seeded host Radford after the Highlanders defeated No. 7 Presbyterian 4-1 in the semifinals. Winthrop defeated Radford 6-1 in the squads' regular season matchup in Rock Hill on Thu., Mar. 7.

FULL RESULTS

Singles
1. #55 PROCTOR, Lauren (WIN) def. CASTILLO, Ana (CAM) 6-3, 6-0
2. SOLOVEVA, Alisa (WIN) vs. REGEN, Lou (CAM) 6-3, 4-2, unfinished
3. KAUFFMAN, Megan (WIN) def. CUTURA, Lea (CAM) 6-3, 6-1
4. SANTOS, Rafaela (WIN) vs. RAMON, Inma (CAM) 4-6, 6-3, 0-0, unfinished
5. VAN ECK, Tayla (WIN) def. ROUSTAN, Pauline (CAM) 6-1, 6-1
6. BURNS, Ellie (WIN) def. NICOARA, Alexandra (CAM) 6-2, 7-5

Doubles
1. #43 KAUFFMAN, Megan/PROCTOR, Lauren (WIN) def. CASTILLO, Ana/REGEN, Lou (CAM) 6-2
2. BOADA, Isabel/RAMON, Inma (CAM) def. SANTOS, Rafaela/SOLOVEVA, Alisa (WIN) 6-4
3. ROUSTAN, Pauline/CUTURA, Lea (CAM) def. BURNS, Ellie/VAN ECK, Tayla (WIN) 6-2

Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,5,3,6)