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MINNETONKA, Minn. - Augustana continued its path to a fourth consecutive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament championship with a 5-1 win over fifth-seeded Winona State on Sunday morning. The Vikings (23-1) now take on the winner of No. 2 U-Mary and No. 3 St. Cloud State in the final with a scheduled start at 12 p.m. and a shot at an automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Championships on May 3-5.
 
Augustana extends its winning streak to 14 matches with its second straight 5-1 win in the conference tournament. Again, the Vikings took two of the three doubles contests with Winona State (11-12) winning the No. 2 doubles contest.
 
The Vikings hopped out to a 2-0 lead with Jenna Helleberg and Meredith Lawrence supplying the opening win at No. 3 doubles. Katie Jesperson and Jessa Richards pushed their lead one more with an 8-0 victory over the ninth-ranked doubles pairing in the Central Region. Christine Olivo and Heather Sullivan weren't as fortunate as they suffered their second consecutive 8-5 loss at No. 2 doubles.
 
With their 2-1 lead entering singles play, the Vikings were quick to dash the upset hopes of Winona State. The top-seeded Vikings showed off their regionally-ranked singles players in Jesperson and Richards. Third-ranked Jesperson cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 win in the top singles match and No. 13-ranked Richards came away with a 6-1, 6-3 win.
 
With the Vikings up in every singles match, it was a race to see who would supply the match-deciding win. At No. 6 singles, Lawrence earned that win and pushed the Vikings to the NSIC finals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
 
Augustana 5, Winona State 1
Apr 27, 2014 at Minnetonka, Minn. (Lifetime Fitness)

Singles competition

1. Jesperson, Katie (AUGIE) def. Potter, Hannah (WSU) 6-0, 6-2

2. Richards, Jessa (AUGIE) def. Urban, Jessica (WSU) 6-1, 6-3

3. Beg, Francesca (AUGIE) vs. Basinski, Aimee (WSU) 1-1, unfinished

4. Olivo, Christine (AUGIE) vs. Havelka, Brianna (WSU) unfinished

5. Helleberg, Jenna (AUGIE) vs. Krueger, Andrea (WSU) 4-2, unfinished

6. Lawrence, Meredith (AUGIE) def. Freund, Brittney (WSU) 6-3, 6-2

Doubles competition

1. Jesperson, Katie/Richards, Jessa (AUGIE) def. Potter, Hannah/Urban, Jessica (WSU) 8-0

2. Basinski, Aimee/Havelka, Brianna (WSU) def. Olivo, Christine/Sullivan, Heather (AUGIE) 8-5

3. Helleberg, Jenna/Lawrence, Meredith (AUGIE) def. Krueger, Andrea/Freund, Brittney (WSU) 8-2

Match Notes

Winona State 11-12

Augustana 23-1

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

NSIC Tournament Semifinals