MONTREAL - The Pandas are one win away from history. A dominate performance on Friday morning saw the Pandas topple the hometown McGill Redbirds 5-2 in the Tennis Canada University Championship semifinal. 

Alberta will now advance to their 5th straight Tennis Canada national final, where they will take on the Western Mustangs on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. MT. 
 

MATCH RESULTS

The Pandas, as they have for most of the 2022/23 season, were led by captain Emma Rutherford, who won at both the #1 singles and #1 doubles spots. The 2023 Pandas Team MVP earned an 8-4 doubles win alongside partner Alexandra Jewitt, before securing a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 win in the top-seeded singles match. 

Jewitt, Jessica Kreutz and Sandra Taskovic also picked up singles match wins on Friday. 

The winners of four national titles as a team, the Pandas have won each of the last three (2019, 2021, 2022), and can become the first UofA varsity team in two decades to win four-straight championships. Only two teams in the 100+ year history of UofA Athletics have ever won four or more national titles in a row; Pandas Rugby, who won five-straight from 1999-2003, and Pandas Volleyball, who won six-straight (1995-2000). 

During their current national title streak, the Pandas own a 28-1 win/loss record, dating back to the start of the 2018/19 season. Over those four seasons, the Pandas are 166-34 combined in singles and doubles matches.

The Pandas only loss in the last five years came against Western in February.