NORMAL, Ill. – Drake women's tennis (15-7, 7-1) battled back after an early deficit to beat the Bruins of Belmont (10-13, 6-2) for the second time this season. Drake's win advanced them into the title match of the 2023 MVC Championships with a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line.
 
The Bruins were able to secure an early point after winning two of three doubles matches in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions.
 
After falling behind in the early stages, Drake began their comeback effort in the No. 4 singles spot as Darinka Stepan made quick work of Meredith Roberts (6-2, 6-4). Freshman phenom Oriana Parkins-Godwin followed suit, winning her match in the No. 5 position to take a lead.
 
The Bulldogs and Bruins went back and forth through the remainder of the match as the final two bouts were forced into three sets. Eventually, No. 2 player Mille Haagensen came up clutch for the Dogs and earned a three-set victory to seal the team win.
 
Drake will now battle regular season champion and No. 1 seed Illinois State for the MVC title tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in Normal.