GREENSBURG, Pa. -- The No. 2 Washington & Jefferson College women's tennis team outlasted No. 1 Grove City College for a 5-3 victory in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship match on Saturday afternoon at the Greensburg Racquet Club in Westmoreland County. 

The title is the first PAC Championship in school history for the W&J women's tennis program. Caitlin Shellhamer (Birdsboro, Pa./Daniel Boone) clinched the title for the Presidents, as the senior defeated Grove City freshman Logan Fuss by a 6-3, 6-2 score at No. 5 singles. 

The victory, which was the ninth straight for the Presidents, improved their overall record to 11-5. The loss was just the second this fall for the Wolverines (10-2). The win helped the Presidents avenge a 5-4 loss at Grove City in the regular season meeting between the two teams. 

W&J trailed Grove City by a 2-1 score after the three doubles matches. Shellhamer and fellow senior Megan Berard (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) picked up an 8-3 win at third doubles to put the Presidents on the board. 

Isabella Goldman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) evened the match score at 2-2 with a victory at No. 2 singles. The freshman rolled to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Grove City's Madi Reed. Using momentum from a key singles victory last night against Westminster, senior Jade Annaldo (North Kingstown, R.I./Scituate) put together a flawless effort on Saturday. Annaldo blanked her opponent at No. 4 singles by a 6-0, 6-0 score. 

Maya Krishnasamy (Ventura, Calif./Ventura) picked up a hard fought 6-4, 6-3 victory at the No. 1 singles spot to give the Presidents a 4-2 edge. Grove City responded with a singles victory at the No. 3 spot to draw within a point. That set the stage for Shellhamer to clinch the match and the first-ever conference title for W&J. 

For the efforts, Krishnasamy was named the Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player. Annaldo and Shellhamer joined Krishnasamy on the All-Tournament Team. 

This was the second year the PAC Championship Tournament used a team format. The league had previously sponsored a flighted championship, with individual players and doubles pairings exclusively seeded and not based on a team's regular-season finish, since supporting a full complement of women's sports (1985-2017).

With Saturday's win, W&J secured the PAC's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. Team selections for the NCAA Division III Championships will be announced on Monday, May 4 with first, second and third rounds scheduled for Friday-Sunday, May 8-10. The Presidents will be making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Championships. 

W&J 5, Grove City 3

Singles Competition 
1. Maya Krishnasamy (WJC) def. Morgan Happe (GRO) 6-4, 6-3
2. Isabella Goldman (WJC) def. Madi Reed (GRO) 6-0, 6-2
3. Jennifer Elder (GRO) def. Megan Berard (WJC) 6-2, 6-3
4. Jade Annaldo (WJC) def. Sydney Adams (GRO) 6-0, 6-0
5. Caitlin Shellhamer (WJC) def. Logan Fuss (GRO) 6-3, 6-2
6. Rachel Holt (GRO) vs. Vanesa Hyde (WJC) 4-3, unfinished

Doubles Competition 
1. Morgan Happe/Madi Reed (GRO) def. Maya Krishnasamy/Isabella Goldman (WJC) 8-4
2. Jennifer Elder/Corrie Hopper (GRO) def. Jade Annaldo/Vanesa Hyde (WJC) 8-4
3. Caitlin Shellhamer/Megan Berard (WJC) def. Mallory Jackson/Logan Fuss (GRO) 8-3

Match Notes:
Records - W&J 11-5; Grove City 10-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,4,1,3,5)
2019 PAC Championship Tournament - Title match