Women's tennis tops conference and region; headed to nationals

Amide doubters and pressure, the Moraine Valley Community College women’s tennis team reached its goals this season and conquered the NJCAA Region IV tournament taking home the championship and a fourth straight berth to nationals.

The Cyclones went into the region competition (Oct. 9-11) at Sauk Valley Community College with confidence, feeling prepared. Kait Seldal (Queen of Peace) was champion in third singles while Claudia Maka (Oak Lawn) was fourth singles champion and Lindsey Walker (Andrew) was the fifth singles champion.

In second doubles play, Agnieszka Szudy (Stagg) and Walker contributed to the team points with a big win over College of Lake County. At third doubles, Maka and Tricia Poremba (Maine West) clinched the team championship by defeating the #2 seed from Sauk Valley and finished the season undefeated in doubles play.

All-Region accolades went to Seldal (third singles), Maka (fourth singles), Walker (fifth singles), and Maka and Poremba (third doubles). Coach Nicole Selvaggio was Region Coach of the Year and will go with her team to the national tournament for the fourth straight year either as a coach or player.

During the regular season, the Cyclones clinched the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) championship with Liz Dominguez (Eisenhower) named Conference Player of the Year. She also earned a nod to the All-Conference team at #1 singles along with Szudy (#2 doubles), Walker (#5 singles, #2 doubles), Seldal (#3 singles), Maka (#4 singles, #3 doubles), and Poremba (#6 singles, #3 doubles). Selvaggio was Conference Coach of the Year.

From the first day of practice, the Cyclones’ goal was to get a championship banner in the gym and go to nationals in addition to topping the ISCC. They had to win the championship to qualify for the national tournament, so the pressure was on.

“This was an absolute team effort, and we definitely had our work cut out for us this season. We didn’t have the leeway that the other teams had. It was all or nothing. This made us want it even more. We worked extremely hard to put ourselves in a position that could help us achieve this goal. I am very fortunate to have been to the national tournament in Arizona as a player. I know the high-quality event they run down there so I am very excited for my girls to have the chance to experience this. I am even more humbled to be able to go back there as head coach,” Selvaggio said. “It feels good being #1. Our next goal is to make some noise down at nationals in May.”

The team has all fall and winter to prepare for the tournament in May in Tucson, Arizona.