Covenant College Athletic Director Kyle Taylor said the Lookout Mountain college will forfeit the women's tennis conference title match rather than play on Sunday.
The 2016 USA South Women's Tennis Tournament had completed the semifinal round in Rocky Mount, N.C. Each of the higher-seeded teams advanced as top-seeded Methodist defeated fourth-seeded Meredith, 6-3, while second-seeded Covenant topped third-seeded N.C. Wesleyan, 6-3.
The championship match was scheduled to take place Sunday. Conference officials said, "However, Covenant does not compete on Sundays and has chosen to forfeit the match. This gives Methodist the program's eighth all-time USA South Tournament Championship and the sixth in the past seven years."
Individually, Covenant's Aly Hall was named the Tournament's MVP for her singles victory at the number-one position.
Taylor said, "Covenant College has elected to forfeit the Women's Tennis USA South Conference championship match, scheduled for April 17, 2016. The championship match takes place on a Sunday, and as an institution owned and operated by the Presbyterian Church in America we observe the Sabbath by not competing in athletic events on Sunday. This conviction is clearly stated in our Student Handbook and is informed by the Bible, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the PCA Book of Church Order.
"In national tournaments, the NCAA makes accommodations for institutions that do not compete on a particular day for religious reasons. Bylaw 31.1.4.1 specifies that if an institution completes the Sport Sponsorship and Demographic Form they can be excused from competition on a particular day. The Covenant College Athletic Department has completed the necessary paperwork each year to apply for this exemption. While the NCAA has this policy, the USA South Athletic Conference is not bound to this. We have communicated with the other institutions in the USA South Athletic Conference, as well as the conference office, that we will not compete in athletic events on Sunday."