FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JWU, Eastern Nazarene earn byes
into semfinals at Winchester Indoor

WINTHROP, Mass. – Johnson & Wales University (7-0 GNAC) and Eastern Nazarene College (6-1 GNAC) have cemented first-round byes in next week's 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Tournament, which will begin on Wednesday, October 16 at the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds – Regis College and Simmons University. 

Led by reigning GNAC Player of the Year Yashu Yang, defending league champion Colby-Sawyer will travel to #4 Simmons as the No. 5 seed next week on Wednesday at 2:00 PM, while third-seeded Regis College welcomes sixth-seeded University of Saint Joseph (CT) also at 2:00 PM. 

With no reseeding across the board in the GNAC, the CSC-Simmons midweek winner will take on the top-seeded Wildcats in the semifinals on Saturday at 2:00 PM, while second-seeded Eastern Nazarene – in its second season as a GNAC associate member – will draw the USJ-Regis victor on Saturday at (approximately) 4:30 PM. 

For the sixth straight year, the Saturday-Sunday semifinals and final on October 19-20 will once again take place at the Winchester Indoor Tennis Center in Winchester, Mass., as all four semifinal teams will compete at one neutral site. 

Winchester's Sunday championship will begin at 12:30 PM, with the winner earning the GNAC's automatic qualifier to the 2020 NCAA Division III Tournament next spring.

Head-to-head, JWU narrowly defeated Eastern Naz, 5-4, at home on September 21, while Eastern Naz bested Regis by the same 5-4 score back on Sept. 14.

Top seed and preseason favorite JWU is led by Claire Parry, five-time GNAC Rookie of the Week Emily Hill, and Kourtney Moore, respectively at 1-3 Singles, while Hill and Moore went 5-0 in the GNAC at No. 2 Doubles. 

First Round - Wednesday, October 16
Match 1: #6 Saint Joseph (CT) at #3 Regis - 2:00 PM
Match 2: #5 Colby-Sawyer at #4 Simmons - 2:00 PM  

Semifinals - Saturday, October 19 (at Winchester Indoor Tennis Center)
Match 3: #4/5 winner vs. #1 JWU - 2:00 PM
Match 4: #3/6 winner vs. #2 Eastern Nazarene - 4:30 PM

Championship - Sunday, October 20 (at Winchester Indoor Tennis Center)
Match 5: Highest remaining seeds - 12:30 PM

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience. 

– #TheGNAC –