Ephs win both A and B draws at NEWITTs

NORTHAMPTON, MA –The Ephs emerged victorious from their battles against Amherst today at the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT). In the semifinal round this morning, two out of the three teams beat their Lord Jeff opponents. Those two groups then went on to win their side of the tournament with Cary Gibson/Nikki Reich taking the A draw and Kristin Alotta/Genny Loomis winning the B draw.

This morning, Cary Gibson/Nikki Reich, William’s number one team, overwhelmed the number three team from Amherst of twins Carlissa and Laken King. This win earned them a spot in the finals against familiar foes Brittany Berckes/Natasha Brown, who are Amherst’s top duo. Gibson and Reich were 1-1 against that Amherst team this fall.

Kristin Alotta and Genny Loomis also advanced to the finals of their draw. They trounced Amherst’s #5 side, Charlotts Wilinsky/Danielle Erb by a 3-0 margin. That duo beat Eph #4 team Katie Freidman/Caroline Capute in a tough match in the other semifinal.

In the finals this afternoon, Gibson and Reich knew what they were facing. In the Williams vs. Amherst dual match two weeks ago, the pair were able to beat Berckes/Brown 8-4. However, Gibson fell to Berckes in a three set singles bout. Brown also had a singles win in that match at number three over Ashley Parsons. The Lord Jeffs had a reason to be confident. Unfortunately for them, it was not meant to be. Until this match, Gibson and Reich had dropped one match in each of their group showdowns. Against their rival though, Gibson and Reich stepped it up and played confidently to a 3-0 win, ending their fall play on a decidedly positive note.

Kristin Alotta and Genny Loomis also competed against Lord Jeffs in their B draw finals. They faced the pair of Anuja Ankola/Mimi Bell. They came away with a 2-1 victory. The pair lost only one match the entire tournament.

“This was a great weekend,” said Coach Alison Swain. “There is no better way to end our season than with wins over Amherst in both flights. Now, we are looking forward to a little rest and then getting started again in the spring.”

This marks the end of the Eph’s fall season. They will return to the courts in the spring for the official NESCAC season and NCAA play.