Stanford becomes lowest seed to win NCAA crown, defeats Texas A&M 4-3
URBANA, Ill. -- An ankle injury ended Kristie Ahn's All-American freshman year during the postseason, turning her into a spectator as Stanford fell to Florida in the NCAA championship in 2011.
Ahn's sophomore year was even shorter, playing in only three dual matches as she battled an assortment of injuries and rehabbed tirelessly to get back into playing shape.
However, Ahn's 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 win clinched a dramatic 4-3 victory for No. 12-seed Stanford against No. 3-seed Texas A&M, capping an emotional week of thrilling comebacks at the 2013 NCAA Women's Tennis Championships.
The most storied program in women's tennis history, Stanford claimed its 17th NCAA championship and first since 2010. The Cardinal, which collected its NCAA-best 129th postseason victory, became the lowest-seeded team to win an NCAA title.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps heads to first title match since 1994
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Claremont-Mudd-Scripps swept Amherst 5-0 in the NCAA team championship semifinals on Tuesday at Stowe Stadium. A dramatic doubles sweep followed by convincing straight-set wins at No. 3 and No. 6 singles advanced the Stags to their first NCAA championship match since 1994.
DIII MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS SEMIFINALS Highlights
Feature: How Felix got his groove backQUARTERFINALS Highlights
Feature: Stags overcome obstacles to advancePreview: CMS not resting on top ranking Brackets: Interactive | Printable Championship: Program | Information CMS was led by junior captain Neel Kotrappa and senior Alex Lane, who each had two wins on the afternoon. Lane and partner Nikolas Marino got CMS on the scoreboard first with their 8-4, two-break victory at No. 3 doubles. Kotrappa and partner Skyler Butts then earned an intense 9-8(5) win at No. 2 doubles by converting their second match point returning at 5-6 in the tiebreaker. Moments later, CMS' No. 1 team of Joe Dorn and Zhenya Pereverzin faced match point against them serving at 5-6 in their tiebreak, but converted the next three points to complete the doubles sweep.
Needing only two wins in singles to clinch, Lane and Kotrappa played focused and efficient tennis to secure their straight-set triumphs. Lane was never in trouble in his 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles, while Kotrappa reeled off the last four games to complete a 6-3, 6-3 victory for the clinch at No. 6.
CMS will face Williams in the NCAA championship match on Wednesday. CMS defeated Williams 5-4 on March 29 in the teams' only previous meeting this season.
Williams back in first title match since 2004 with win against Washington (Mo.)
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Dan Greenberg never made it to a national title match as a player at Williams, despite finishing as high as fourth nationally.
Fast-forward five years from his graduation and Greenberg has the Ephs back in their first national title match since 2004 -- this time as their coach -- after a 5-1 Williams dismantling of Washington (Mo.) at Stowe Stadium in the national semifinals Tuesday.
Williams, 22-3 and winners of 11 consecutive matches, will face Claremont Mudd Scripps (30-3) Wednesday for the national championship.
DIII MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS SEMIFINALS Highlights
Feature: How Felix got his groove backQUARTERFINALS Highlights
Feature: Stags overcome obstacles to advancePreview: CMS not resting on top ranking Brackets: Interactive | Printable Championship: Program | Information
"Being up after doubles makes a big difference," Greenberg said. "But I was most impressed with our singles play. To go out and win four first sets against a very good singles team, pretty everybody stepped up. CMS is playing very well, so we're going to have to do it again [on Wednesday]."The Ephs' third consecutive trip to the national semifinals -- they finished third in 2012 and fourth in 2011 -- proved fruitful as they were able to jump out to a 2-1 lead after doubles thanks to wins at second and third.
Williams actually trailed in the match 1-0 after Adam and Ross Putterman of Washington bounced Trey Meyer and Adam Schidlovsky 8-2 at one doubles. But the second doubles tandem of Matt Micheli and Felix Sun got the Ephs back even with an 8-4 victory at two and Brian Astraschan and Bryan Chow gave Williams the lead with an 8-6 win at three doubles.
The Ephs came out on fire as singles play began and soon the writing was on the wall that they would be advancing to the national title match. The Ephs won first sets at one (Meyer, 6-2), two (Micheli, 6-4), three (Sun, 6-2) and five (Chow 6-2).
Chow was the first one off the courts as he quickly finished off Gary Parizher 6-2, 6-2 at five for a 3-1 Williams lead. Micheli jumped out to a 4-0 lead in his second set against Ross Putterman, winning 6-4, 6-2 to put the Ephs up 4-1.
It was Sun at three who finished off Wash U., falling behind 2-1 in the second set, but then reeling off five consecutive games for the 6-2, 6-2 win and a 5-1 Williams win.
"We spent a lot of time working on our singles play as the season progressed," Greenberg said. "We lost to CMS 5-4 because of singles, we lost to Amherst 5-4 because of singles, so we talked a lot about that and worked on it. I think that work paid off. "
Three other singles matches were still unfinished when the result was reached. Meyer was down 5-2 in the second set at one after his 6-2 first-set win. Zach Weiss lost a first-set tiebreaker at four 7-6, and Howie Weiss, after dropping the first set at six singles 6-4, roared back to take set two 6-1.
Williams is 3-3 overall in national championship matches, winning titles in 1999. 2001 and 2002 and finishing as the runner-up nationally in 1998, 2003 and 2004. From 1998 through 2004, Williams played in six of seven championship matches.
How Felix got his groove back
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Two years ago, Felix Sun was the No. 2-ranked NCAA Division III player in the country and was playing No. 1 for the Williams Ephs. Improvement from a couple of his teammates, combined with some doubt in his strokes and Sun now is playing No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles.
Sun's victory Tuesday evening against Elite 89 Award winner Tim Noack of Washington (Mo.) clinched a 5-1 semifinal victory for the Ephs and put them in Wednesday afternoon's championship match against top-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Sun beat Noack 6-2, 6-2 after he and Matt Micheli defeated the Bears' Josh Cogan and Kareem Farah in doubles action 8-4.
DIII MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS SEMIFINALS Highlights
Feature: How Felix got his groove backQUARTERFINALS Highlights
Feature: Stags overcome obstacles to advancePreview: CMS not resting on top ranking Brackets: Interactive | Printable Championship: Program | Information “Felix has had a tough year, so for him to step up and clinch it is definitely special for us,” Williams coach Dan Greenberg said. “Felix was No. 2 in the country as a sophomore and he used to play No. 1 for us, but other guys got better and I think that was a hit to his confidence. He never stopped working on his game though.”
A native of Potomac, Md., Sun is a chemistry major at Williams.
“Every match is even more meaningful because any match this week could have been our last,” Sun said. “I have always had confidence in my game, but my teammates are fabulous players; besides, you can get points from anywhere in the lineup, so I am happy where I am playing now.”
The Ephs were ranked No. 6 in the country at the end of the regular season.
“This has been a tough year for me, for sure,” Sun said. “I struggled early, trying to find my game and I guess I did lose some trust in my strokes. I was over-analyzing everything and I was a little too tight.”His teammates helped Sun regain his stroke, and his confidence.
“We really are a family,” he said. “We have been through so much this year, some real highs and some real lows too, but on the court and off it, we have each others' backs.”Williams could become the first school since Emory in 2006 to win the men's and women's NCAA DIII national championships in the same year. The Williams women, who are going for six consecutive national titles, are scheduled to play Emory on Wednesday morning.
“What makes this team so special is that everyone truly cares about the team and everyone brings it,” Greenberg said. “We have always been a good doubles team, but singles is where we have put in a lot of work this season. [Wednesday] we are playing a team that is playing the best tennis we've seen in this division, but if we step it up one more notch, we'll be in it.”
Competing for those at home
ATHENS, Ga. -- They came to play golf and to represent their schools and their state.
But when the news broke Monday of a terrible disaster on the home front, the women’s golf teams of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State felt a need to do so in an even more even-tempered and dignified manner than anything they had previously attempted. In that regard, their scores at the NCAA Division-I Women’s Championship on Tuesday meant little.
In the wake of Monday’s devastating tornado that left 24 dead, including nine children, in Moore, Okla., their actions and words meant more.
“All day, I just tried to keep it in perspective,” said Oklahoma senior Taylor Schmidt, who posted a 1-under-par 71 that represented her school’s best individual score and left her tied for sixth heading into Wednesday’s second round of the 72-hole tournament.
“I just kept thinking, ‘Don’t get upset about a bogey or a missed birdie putt – because we have people back at home who have lost their lives and families that are still looking for kids.’ I think all of us played for Oklahoma today and I think it fueled our energy. I think we used it in the right way.”2013 DI WOMEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS Day 1 Menzer: Banding together after Okla. tragedy Menzer: Stanford's Tumangan threat on course Preview Menzer: Any team, ind. can shine at tournament Track Championship Leaderboard Championship Participants | Regional Results More: Champ Info | History | Program Oklahoma is located in Norman, Okla., and the best way to describe Moore is as a close neighboring town. Gerrod Chadwell, the Sooners’ assistant coach, lives very close to where the tornado tore through and was fortunate not to have his home hit. Other people he, Coach Veronique Druin-Luttrell and their players knew were not so lucky.
“It’s really sad. It kind of hit reality [Monday] when the girls were watching the news and you could see places they go to eat or where they go to movies and stuff,” Druin-Luttrell said. “So that was tough for them. But right now we just have to go out there and represent Oklahoma. We made it a little bit of a deal where we’re going to play for them and see what happens.”
The Sooners, ranked fourth in the nation, struggled as a team at the outset on Tuesday, but rallied down the stretch on the back nine. They finished 3-over-par and in eighth place out of the 24 teams after the first round.
And even though they are Big-12 in-state rivals and Oklahoma State is located in Stillwater, far away from where the tornado struck, there seemed to be a bond struck between coaches and players from the two schools during Tuesday’s competition. Oklahoma State struggled mightily and ended up 15-over-par and in 22nd at the end of the day.
But again, the scores didn’t seem to matter much.
“Everybody saw the coverage [Monday] night and it was just awful. Especially those kids in that school,” Oklahoma coach Alan Bratton said. “So hopefully everyone can pull together and help that community. This is the third time that’s happened to Moore, so it makes everyone – not just Oklahomans, but everyone – just count your blessings.”
“We just talked about perspective, and how we’re blessed to do what we do – and to never forget that.”
-- Alan BrattonBratton said he pulled his team together before teeing off to deliver a message.
“We just talked about perspective, and how we’re blessed to do what we do – and to never forget that,” Bratton said. “I doubt it had much of an effect on us today. They know how to keep their mind on their business. It was in our state, but still quite a ways away.
“But I think the whole tournament had to be affected. That was world-wide news. We’ve got a bunch of international kids, and they talked about their families and all checked on them. So really what we did was just try to check our perspective and remember how blessed we all are to come and play in a golf tournament when other people have lost so much.”
The message was received by Julie Yang, an Oklahoma State freshman from Seoul, South Korea who shot a 2-over-par 74 Tuesday.
“Luckily I’ve been fortunate not to be close to any tornadoes since I’ve been in the States,” Yang said. “But although it only hit Moore, I think it affects everybody all over the [United] States. It makes you realize you’re very lucky and fortunate to still be alive and not going through what the families who have lost loved ones in the tornado. It makes you grateful for what you have.
“It’s hard to play golf if you can’t stay committed to it shot-by-shot and hole-by-hole. So I tried not to think of it too much. But right before I went on the course and right after I got off it, I started thinking about it again. It’s hard not to. It’s all over the news and it’s just a shocking disaster. So not just me, but our whole team has been thinking about it. It’s just very sad.”
Emily Collins, a junior for Oklahoma who also shot a 71 to tie her teammate Schmidt and 13 others for sixth, said, “It’s hard because we know a lot of people who lost a lot of things, and obviously it’s just devastating. But we’re just trying to play our game, and at the end of this we can say we played for them.”
Schmidt flashed the inside of her wrist, where she had written in black permanent marker: “PLAY-FOR-OK.”
“It’s unbelievable, but Oklahoma is a strong state with wonderful people,” Schmidt said. “I have no doubt that we’ll come together and get through it. I couldn’t be happier to be here representing OU and the people of Oklahoma as well. I hope I did them proud.”
Barry holds 10-stroke lead on Nova Southeastern after Round 2
HERSHEY, Pa. -- As mundane as it seems, Barry is just trying to play it stroke by stroke. So far, it’s working for the Buccaneerss, who hold a 10-stroke lead on Nova Southeastern after two rounds at the NCAA Division II National Championships.
“All we’re trying to do is hit one shot at a time,” Barry coach Jimmy Stobs said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to do all year.”DII MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS Day 2 Houston: Buffington III leads young UWF squad Houston: Rivals stand in Barry's way of title Day 1 Houston: Nova S'eastern's Taylor sets bar high Houston: MyBurgh helps SWOSU overcome Preview Houston: Nova Southeastern ready for repeat Track the leaderboard Teams, individuals named for championship Regional Results | Conference Champs Barry shot the low round (288) for the second day in a row of the stroke play competition on the par-71, 6,984-yard Hershey Country Club course. The Buccaneers’ two-round total of 4-over 572 topped that of Nova’s 582 on a day where course demands increased. Florida Southern is third at 19-over 587 entering Wednesday’s final round of stroke play. South Carolina-Aiken is fourth, 18 strokes behind the Bucs, and Lynn is fifth at 591.
The top eight teams will advance to match play Thursday in a bracket-style playoff featuring a player-versus-player format. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played Thursday with the match play finals set for Friday.
“The golf course played real hard,” Stobs said. “We had some silly bogeys and double bogeys. As the scores are indicating, it’s a tough golf course.”
Barry senior Marcus Segerstrom was ready for the challenge, responding with a 1-under 70 in the second round. Segerstrom had three birdies and two bogeys in a steady round that moved him six spots up the leaderboard into a tie for third place with teammate Adam Svensson and Grand Canyon’s Jimmy Kozikowski at 1-under 141.
“Marcus played real solid,” Stobs said.
Svensson, a freshman, shot 2-over 73, and along with Segerstrom, is three strokes behind leader Rob Damschen of Cal State-Stanislaus. Damschen shot a 3-under 68 Tuesday and stands at 4-under 138. He has a one-stroke lead on South Carolina Aiken’s Matt Atkins, who shot 69. Svensson had four birdies and six bogeys in the second round.
Both Segerstrom and Svensson have eight birdies, which trail Kozikowski and Nova's Hunter O'Mahoney's nine for the tournament lead.
Barry junior Scott Smyers ripped off four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the front nine before settling for four bogeys and another birdie on the back nine to finish even for the day. Smyers, who has seven birdies in the two rounds, is tied with Nova’s Ricardo Celia for ninth at 2-over 144.
Bucs junior Jared Dalga was 3-over in a round he paired three birdies with four bogeys and a double-bogey for a 74. He is tied for 15th with six others. The top 15 golfers following Wednesday’s final round of stroke play earn All-American honors.
Barry senior Simon Forsslund shot 77 behind four birdies, five bogeys, a double- and a triple-bogey. He is the only Buccaneer with an eagle thus far in the tournament. He sits in an eight-way tie for 39th at 151.
“We’re trying to get better every day,” Stobs said.
Virginia tops No. 1-seed UCLA 4-3 to claim first national championship
URBANA, Ill. -- Virginia won the first NCAA championship in program history as it defeated UCLA 4-3 in the 2013 NCAA tournament final on Tuesday at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex. The second-seeded Cavaliers (30-0) capped an undefeated season with the victory against the top-seeded Bruins (29-2) and became the first ACC school to win a men's tennis NCAA title.
"I don't think it has set in yet, but it's a great feeling to win this championship," head coach Brian Boland said. "I am just so happy for the players, not just the current players, but the former players as well. They didn't have this moment, but we wouldn't be here today without them. I believe it was just a matter of time. I didn't know when it would happen, but this is a great moment for the University of Virginia."
Mitchell Frank clinched the championship with a come-from-behind 0-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory at No. 3 singles against Adrien Puget in the decisive match. Frank, who was down a break in the third set, saved a team match point before rallying for victory.
The Cavs dogpile Mitchell Frank on the court.Virginia Athletics"Mitchell Frank deserved this moment because of the hard work he puts into this game," Boland said. "He didn't play his best, but he hung in there and kept fighting. That is who he is, a warrior. That said, no team deserves to lose that match. I feel for UCLA, we have been where they are. They played a great match and put themselves in a position to win, just like we did, and [on Tuesday] it fell our way."
The Cavaliers took a 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point, which proved crucial. At No. 1, Jarmere Jenkins and Mac Styslinger rolled to an 8-2 win against Marcus Giron and Dennis Novikov to give the Cavaliers the edge. Julen Uriguen and Justin Shane rallied from down an early break to top Alex Brigham and Clay Thompson 8-5 at No. 3 doubles to clinch the point.
In singles, each team won three first sets as the match remained close throughout. The Cavaliers extended their lead to 2-0 as Shane cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5 against Thompson, snapping the Bruin's 14-match win streak. UCLA answered with a pair of victories to draw even in the match 2-2. Giron got the Bruins on the board with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Alex Domijan at No. 2 and Dennis Mkrtchian followed with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 4 against Styslinger.
Virginia retook the lead 3-2 as Jenkins completed a 7-6(3), 6-3 victory at No. 1 against Novikov. Jenkins, who was named the ITA National Senior Player of the Year earlier in the day, was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
"This victory shows the character of this program," Jenkins said. "We had some tough losses the last few years, but we kept getting up and coming back stronger the next year. We beat a really good UCLA team in some tough conditions. To end my dual-match career by winning this championship, it means the world to me."
The final two matches on the courts went to a third set with the Cavaliers needing to win one to claim the national title. At No. 6, Karue Sell rallied for a three-set victory against Uriguen 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to bring UCLA even 3-3 and set up the dramatic ending on court No. 3.
After losing the first set to Puget 6-0, Frank responded by winning the second set 6-4 to force a decisive final set. Frank went up a break 2-1, only to see Puget break back in the ensuing game. Puget broke Frank again to take a 5-3 lead and served for the match for the Bruins. On championship point 40-30, Puget approached the net to put away a shot that would clinch the title for UCLA, but his foot stepped on the net and the point was awarded to Frank to bring the game to deuce. Frank won the two points that followed to get back on serve.
After Frank held his serve to draw even at five, he broke Puget's serve again to allow him to serve for the match at 6-5. He won the first three points to take a 40-0 lead, but Puget saved the first two championship points for Virginia. On the third championship point, Puget sailed a shot wide that sparked the Cavaliers' celebration of their first NCAA championship.
"I can't say I wasn't thinking about it, that it came down to me," Frank said. "It was a lot easier to be playing that deciding match than it was to be watching it last year. When he got the penalty, I could feel the momentum shift. I started to think that this was our time and fortunately I was able to get it done. To be a part of the first Virginia NCAA championship team is something I will be proud of for the rest of my life."
In addition to NCAA Tournament MVP Jenkins, Frank (No. 3 singles), Jenkins/Styslinger (No. 1 doubles) and Shane/Uriguen (No. 3 doubles) were named to the NCAA All-Tournament team.
Virginia became the 14th school in the 67-year history of the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship to win the title. It is the 20th NCAA championship in Virginia athletics history.
Emory survives grueling five-hour match with 5-4 victory against Amherst
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Fourth-ranked Emory will play for the program's sixth national championship on Wednesday, earning a berth into the NCAA Division III title game after upsetting top-ranked Amherst 5-4 in a marathon semifinal match on Tuesday.
Emory, now 18-4 this season, will take on Williams for the NCAA championship on Wednesday. The Ephs reached the title match with a 5-1 win against second-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Tuesday.
The Eagles took the early advantage in Tuesday's match against Amherst, striking first in doubles play with an 8-2 win from junior Brenna Kelly and freshman Emma Taylor at third doubles against Safi Aly and Caroline Richman. Amherst evened the match with a win at second doubles, as Jen Newman and Zoe Pangalos withstood a come-back attempt from senior Jordan Wylie and freshman Madison Gordon to win 9-7. However, Emory ended the doubles matches with a lead, as junior Gabrielle Clark and freshman Annette Sullivan claimed the final point with an 8-6 win against former NCAA doubles champions Jordan Brewer and Gabby Devlin in the first match.
Amherst rebounded, winning the first two singles matches decided to take a 3-2 lead. At third singles, Sue Ghosh defeated Wylie 6-2, 6-3 while Newman followed at second singles with a 6-2, 6-4 win against freshman Beatrice Rosen. Emory evened the score at three behind Clark at first singles, who defeated Brewer 7-6 (5), 6-3.DIII WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS Semifinals 
HighlightsHill: Pressure doesn't get to Emory's Levine Quarterfinals HighlightsHill: Worley, Li lead team on and off the court Preview: Watch out for 2012 champs Williams Brackets: Interactive | Printable Championship: Program | Information The other three matches, the results of which awarded one of the two teams a trip to the championship, each proved to be a nail-biting three-set affair. At the fifth singles match, Gordon fell to Devlin to put Amherst a point away from clinching. After winning the first set 6-2, Gordon dropped the second set 2-6 to her opponent and trailed 5-2 in the third set. Gordon fought back, winning four of the next five games to force a third-set tiebreaker, but eventually fell 7-6 (3).
Down 4-3, Emory needed wins from both freshman Marissa Levine at fourth singles and Kelly at sixth singles to avoid their third consecutive trip to the consolation match. Kelly was the first to abide, defeating Pangalos in three sets to even the team score at four. Kelly took the first set by a 7-5 score, but dropped the second set 4-6. However, Kelly bounced back with a strong 6-3 third-set victory to claim the individual win.
With the score tied at four, all eyes turned to the fourth singles match, where Levine dropped the first set 3-6 to Richman, but bounced back with a thrilling 7-6 (6) second-set tiebreaker win. Energized by the tiebreaker victory, Levine secured the Eagles' come-from-behind win with a dominating 6-1 win in the third set to clinch the team win.
When the final point was tallied, the match totaled more five hours in length, including a brief rain delay during doubles play. Amherst ended its 2013 season with a 20-3 record as the Eagles avenged a 5-4 loss to the Jeffs earlier in the season.
Emory will play in its eighth NCAA championship match and its first since the 2010 season. The Eagles are 5-2 in championship matches, including wins in 1996, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Nothing like the real thing
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Emory attempts to simulate pressure at practice.
But there is nothing like the real thing.
The Eagles experienced plenty of pressure Tuesday on their way to edging Amherst 5-4 in the semifinals at Kalamazoo's Stowe Stadium. And no Eagle felt more pressure than freshman Marissa Levine.
Levine, a native of Pinecrest, Fla., rallied from a set down to defeat Amherst's Caroline Richman 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1 in the match that clinched the victory for Emory. Levine led 5-0 in the second set before Richman rallied to force the tiebreaker.
“As long as she played her game I was confident in her,” Emory senior captain Jordan Wylie said. “She had the second set, but then wavered a little bit but we were still really confident. We do practice pressure points in practice, where one point takes a match, but there is nothing like the real thing.”
Emory, which won four consecutive national championships from 2003-06, will square off Wednesday against Williams, which has won the last five Division III national titles. Williams dumped Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 5-1 in Tuesday's other semifinal.DIII WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS Semifinals HighlightsHill: Pressure doesn't get to Emory's Levine Quarterfinals HighlightsHill: Worley, Li lead team on and off the court Preview: Watch out for 2012 champs Williams Brackets: Interactive | Printable Championship: Program | Information “When you get to this point in the tournament, all you can think about is the point that is right in front of you,” said Emory coach Amy Bryant, who was the first woman in the history of the NCAA to win a national championship as a player and as a coach. “If you start thinking about what was or what could be, you lose focus on what is right in front of you. That is what we are going to have to do tomorrow.”
Williams defeated Emory 6-3 earlier this season, but Emory played without two of its usual starters.
“Not everyone was healthy, so we played them with a different team,” Wylie said. “Our match against Middlebury [a 5-2 victory] helped us [Tuesday] and [Tuesday]'s match will help us for [Wednesday]. We trust each other. Trust is definitely one of our team themes.
“We are confident and disciplined and we have a group of girls who just enjoy playing tennis.”
Emory's Gabrielle Clark and Annette Sullivan won at No. 1 doubles Tuesday, while Eagles Brenna Kelly and Emma Taylor won at No. 3. Clark and Kelly also won their semifinal singles matches.
Williams ekes past CMS 5-1 to advance to NCAA championship round
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Two months ago in a match played on the campus of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Willaims fell 5-4, but Tuesday was a much different story as the Ephs (22-4) downed previously undefeated CMS (31-1) 5-1 to advance to Wednesday's NCAA Division III title tilt.
With the win, the Ephs snapped the Athenas' 31-match season win streak and extended their own season win streak to eight and head coach Alison Swain's NCAA tournament win streak to 29.
Tuesday Claremont-Mudd-Scripps captured the first point of the match when its top tandem of Kristin Lim and Caroline Ward downed the Eph duo of junior Kara Shoemaker and sophomore Rebecca Curran 8-4. With the match 3-2 in favor of the CMS pairing, Lim and Ward won the next three games to take control of the match.
The Ephs tied the match at one when their No. 2 doubles team of junior Kathleen Elkins and sophomore Maria Pylypiv won 8-2 against Sarah Kukino and Crystal Lim. The Eph duo opened up a 3-0 lead, only to see the Athenas cut that lead to 3-2 before Elkins and Pylypiv rattled off the last five games in a row, evening the score of the match at one.DIII WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS Semifinals HighlightsHill: Pressure doesn't get to Emory's Levine Quarterfinals HighlightsHill: Worley, Li lead team on and off the court Preview: Watch out for 2012 champs Williams Brackets: Interactive | Printable Championship: Program | Information The deciding doubles point came down to No. 3 doubles, where senior Nancy Worley and sophomore Monica Pastor, playing for just the fourth time this season as a team, pulled out a 9-7 win. Worley and Pastor are now 3-1 on the season.
"Nancy and Monica just kept working hard and believing and trusting in their games," Swain said. "They hit several real nice returns when the match was 8-7 to win."
Sophomore Maria Pylypiv captured her 26th singles match of the year when she posted a 6-0, 6-0 win at five singles, making the score 3-1 in favor of the Ephs.
Shortly after the Pylypiv win, classmate Monica Pastor authored her own straight-set win 6-1, 6-1 at six singles against Yvonne Likomanova to boost the Eph lead to 4-1.
Senior captain Nancy Worley closed out the match for Williams when she downed Sarah Kukino in straight sets 6-2, 6-0, lifting the Ephs into a record sixth consecutive NCAA title match.
"It's great to see and feel a real tangible result of this team's improvement over the season," Swain said. "This team has come so far this season and improved so much that [Wednesday] is going to be a celebration of that work and improvement."