Pandas top Toronto, advance to eighth-straight national final

MONTREAL, QC - Pandas Tennis is once again in the national final, defeating Toronto 5-2 on Thursday morning at the U SPORTS Championship in Montreal. 

It marks the 8th-straight national final appearance for the Pandas, which includes titles in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, and a loss in 2018. The Pandas have won five-straight national titles, and can become the first team since the 1995-2000 Pandas Volleyball dynasty to win six-straight. 

After winning all three doubles matches to open the national semifinal, Pandas Emma Rutherford, Marena Diaz Nakagawa and Alexandra Jewitt each won their singles matches, clinching the Pandas win.

Rutherford (6-3, 6-2) and Diaz Nakagawa (6-0, 6-1) had little trouble with their singles matches, before Jewitt clinched the victory with a 6-3, 6-4 win. Sonia Skobkareva (6-3, 6-2) also added a singles win on Thursday. 

During their current national title streak, the Pandas own a 36-1 win/loss record dating back to the start of the 2018 season. Over the last eight seasons, the Pandas are 178-44 combined in singles and doubles matches.

The Pandas will meet either Laval or Dalhousie in the national final on Saturday morning.