The Pandas tennis team defeated the Toronto Varsity Blues 6-1 on Sunday, capturing their third-straight Tennis Canada University Championship, and fifth national title in program history. 

The Pandas are the first University of Alberta varsity program to win three-straight national titles since the Pandas Hockey team won three-consecutive CIS titles from 2002-2004.

The win also completes another undefeated season for the Pandas, who went 9-0 in 2022, winning 54 of the 63 matches they've played. Their combined record now stands at 125-22 in singles and doubles matches over the past three years, with their last team loss coming in the 2018 national final.
 

BOXSCORE

Alberta earned the doubles point on Sunday with a pair of 8-2 wins, with the #1 team of Jena Cheng and Alexandra Jewitt, along with the #3 duo of Jessica Kreutz and Sandra Taskovic earning doubles wins. 

Cheng followed that up with another dominant 6-1, 6-1 win in #1 singles, followed quickly by a 6-1, 6-0 win by Emma Rutherford at the #2 spot. 

Fourth-year Panda Katie Johnson clinched the win for Alberta with a 6-0, 6-3 win in the #5 singles match. Jewitt and Kreutz also earned singles wins. 

Cheng was named National Championship MVP after going 4-0 combined in the semifinal and final, dropping just four points in two #1 singles matches. Assistant Coach Ivan Quintero was also given the 2022 Female Coaching Excellence Award, the third time he has won that award.

It is also the 8th national title won by Bears & Pandas tennis head coach Russ Sluchinski, who has now won five titles with the Pandas, and three with the Bears. 
 

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