The Clark Atlanta University Lady Panthers tennis team is one step away from a championship after they defeated defending champs Benedict College Monday in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Championships in Peachtree City, Ga.

The Lady Panthers, who have not lost a conference game this season, won their thirteenth SIAC match, defeating Benedict 4-1 Monday at Peachtree City Tennis Center, propelling them to Tuesday's championship match against Tuskegee University at 3 p.m.

Benedict defeated CAU last year for the SIAC title and had won the past three SIAC titles.

"Ecstatic," said CAU head coach Tara Turner, the SIAC's 2019 Coach of the Year. "The girls worked hard.  Benedict is the reigning conference champions from the past few years and my girls had to fight to get it, and they got it."

The Lady Panthers now face Tuskegee, a team they defeated 4-1 and 4-3 in matches at CAU Tennis Courts on April 7.  Tuskegee defeated Spring Hill College 3-2 to Monday to reach the championship match.

Tuskegee finished second in the SIAC regular season standings, just behind CAU. The Golden Tigers were 7-3 in conference play, 8-6 overall. 

Turner said her Lady Panthers squad – which is led by 2019 SIAC Women's Player of the Year Akilah Parker and fellow All-Conference performers Vanessa Eusebio, Madison Majors and Alexis Fletcher – is focused on their year-long goal to bring a title back to Clark Atlanta.

"This is what they what they are here to do," Turner said.  "They are going to take care of business and get the ring. We discussed this at the beginning of the season that that was the goal.  That's what we are going to do."   

A big part of that will be to have a strong Panther following at Peachtree City Tennis Center Tuesday to cheer them on.

"It's very, very big," she said.  "It's exciting because a lot of times, because it's a smaller sport, the girls don't necessarily have the fan base that they'd like.  So, it's good that their fellow Panthers come and support them."