Sunday's match will be played outdoors under near perfect weather conditions on the Torrence M. Hunt Tournament Courts -- sunny with the temperature in the low 70s.
LINEUPS
5/16----12:00 pm
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – Second-seeded Williams women’s tennis (20-3) advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year with a 5-4 defeat of third-round opponent and conference foe, Tufts University (15-7). With the match knotted at 4-4, Ephs first-year Nancy Worley clinched the decisive fifth point in a come from behind three-set victory to send the Ephs to Fredericksburg, Virginia for a chance at their third straight national title.
Williams’ number one pair of Grace Baljon and Taylor French, and Tufts top duo of Julia Browne and Meghan McCooey, have played each other twice this season. In the first match at the fall’s ITA New England Championship, the Jumbos came out on top to take the title in the doubles final. In the regular season match up, Williams was able to avenge the loss. This afternoon Browne and McCooey had the edge at court one, tallying the Jumbos’ only doubles point with an 8-3 victory.
Lindsay Katz and Janice Lam challenged the Ephs’ number two combination of Kristin Alotta and Nikki Reich to a tiebreak in their last meeting on April 17. The Ephs handled their competition with ease this time in an 8-3 win. Lucy Marchese and Caroline Capute added the important second point for the Ephs at court three with an 8-4 finish.
Caroline Capute fell next at court six after having won eight straight matches heading into this match. With the loss at court six, Williams would have to win the final two matches to advance. Once Capute lost, Lucy Marchese was on serve in the third set at court four after having falling behind in the first set. Marchese closed out her final set to take a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Williams-5 vs Tufts-4 ----
Doubles
1. Grace Baljon/Taylor French (W) vs. Julia Browne/Meghan
McCooey (T) (T) 8-3
2. Kristin Alotta/Nikki Reich (W) vs. Lauren
Hollender/Edwina Stewart (T) (W)
8-3
3. Lucy Marchese/Caroline Capute (W) vs. Hillary
Rosen/Janice Lam (T)
(W) 8-4
Singles
1. Baljon (W) vs. Browne (T) (T) 7-5,
6-2
2. Alotta (W) vs. McCooey (T) (T) ( 6-2)
6-1
3. Reich (W) vs. Stewart (T) (W) 6-2,
6-2
4. Marchese (W) vs. Lam (T) (W) 2-6, 6-2,
6-3
5. Nancy Worley (W) vs. Jennifer LaCara (W)
T 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
6. Capute (W) vs. Hollender (T)
(T) 7-5, 6-4
5/14 --9:30 AM
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – In first-round action of the 2010 Division III NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament, Wheaton College (17-2) defeated Ithaca College (15-5), 5-2. The Lyons advance to play regional host and second-ranked Williams College tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.
Wheaton earned the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference's (NEWMAC) automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament after defeating five-time and defending league tournament champion Wellesley College last fall. The Lyons enters the tournament having won nine consecutive matches dating back to October 6. This morning’s victory places their win streak at ten.
Ithaca College earned their fourth-straight berth into the NCAA Tournament with the automatic bid as the Empire 8 title winner. The Bombers lost to Wheaton earlier in the regular season on March 16 by a 6-3 score.
Wheaton claimed the early advantage by taking two of the three doubles matches. Ellen Van Faasen and Rosalyn Chesky tallied the first point of the match at court three for the Lyons, dealing an 8-3 loss to Sarah Hollis and Devra Reiman of Ithaca. Ithaca evened the score by picking up an 8-4 win at court two, but Wheaton closed out doubles play with an tight 8-6 win at court one.
The match was moved indoors to Lansing Chapman Rink due to inclement weather, therefore only the first four singles pairs hit the courts. Wheaton took the early lead in three of the four matches. Ithaca’s Cristina Nunez stormed ahead at court one, taking the match 6-1, 6-2. Wheaton put the total match total back at 4-2 with two straight set wins at courts two and four.
At court three, Wheaton’s Ellen Van Faasen and Ithaca’s Melanie Cohen battled it out in three sets. Wheaton clinched the decisive fifth point in Van Faasen’s 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win to advance to the second round of the tournament.
WHEATON 5 vs. ITHACA 2 - FINAL
Doubles
1. Sarah Geocaris/Catherine Teague (WHE) vs. Cristina
Nunez/Melissa Nunez (IC)-WHE 8-6 [3]
2. Allesandra DiOrio/Katherine Knies (WHE) vs. Melanie Cohen/Becky Campbell (IC)-IC 8-4 [2]
3. Ellen Van Faasen/Rosalyn Chesky (WHE) vs. Sarah Hollis/Devra Reiman (IC)-WHE 8-3 [1]
Singles
1. Geocaris (WHE) vs. C. Nunez (IC)
IC 6-1, 6-2
[1]
2. Teague (WHE) vs. Reiman (IC)
WHE 6-2, 6-0
[2]
3. Van Faasen (WHE) vs. Cohen (IC)
WHE 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
[4]
4. DiOrio (WHE) vs. Hollis (IC)
WHE 6-2, 6-3
[3]
5. Knies (WHE) vs. M. Nunez (IC)
DNF IC leading (6-3),1-0
6. Chesky (WHE) vs. Kelsey Harness (IC) DNF WHE leading 6-0,
4-1
5/14 -- 2:00 PM
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – Skidmore (11-6) cruised past Mount Saint Mary (18-2) for a 5-0 win in first-round action of the 2010 Division III NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament at Williams College. The 19th-ranked Thoroughbreds will take on 11th-ranked Tufts tomorrow in the second round at 1:00 p.m.
This was Mount Saint Mary’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, as the Blue Knights received an automatic bid as champions of the Skyline Conference. Skidmore, the runner-up in the Liberty League, showed their talent and experience in the quick win over their first-round competition.
The Thoroughbreds swept doubles play and lost only three games total. Rachel Loeb and Brittany Trimble took only eight games to put away their opponents at court three, while teammates Laura Attley and Toby Engros followed quickly after with an 8-1 win over the Blue Knights at court two. Skidmore’s number one duo finished off the sweep with an 8-2 win at court one.
MT. ST. MARY 0 vs. SKIDMORE 5 Final
[ ] = Order of Finish
Doubles
1. Gabriela Murphy-Goldberg/Anne Marie Llewellyn (MSM) vs. Danika Robison/Nataly Mendoza (SK) SK 8-2 [3]
2. Lindsay Searle/Rebecca Schwartz (MSM) vs. Laura
Attley/Toby Engros (SK) SK 8-1
[2]
3. Emily Gregory/Jennifer Gregory (MSM) vs. Rachel
Loeb/Brittany Trimble (SK) SK 8-0
[1]
1. Murphy-Goldberg (MSM) vs.
Robison (SK) DNF -- Skidmore leads 4-1
2. Searle (MSM) vs. Loeb (SK)
DNF -- Skidmore leads 6-0,
4-0
3. Caitlin Giordano (MSM) vs. Attley (SK)
SK 6-0, 6-1
[2]
4. Schwartz (MSM) vs. Mendoza (SK)
SK 6-0, 6-0 [1]
5. J. Gregory (MSM) vs. Engros
(SK)
Did not start play
6. E. Gregory (MSM) vs. Trimble
(SK)
Did not start play
5/15 -- 9:30 AM
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – Williams women’s tennis, host of this weekend’s three-round regional sectional of the 2010 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Tournament, began their quest for a third consecutive national title with a 5-0 sweep of Wheaton College (17-3).
Wheaton advanced to second-round action with a 5-2 defeat of Ithaca in a first-round contest yesterday. Williams, who received a first-round bye as the second-seeded team in the tournament, put the Lyons in an early 3-0 hole and Wheaton could not push past a very talented and tournament-tested Ephs singles ladder.
Williams’ two and three pairs defeated their Wheaton counterparts in identical 8-3 showings. Grace Baljon and Taylor French were challenged at court one by the Lyons’ Sarah Geocaris and Catherine Teague. The match was sent to a tiebreak where Williams narrowly defeated Wheaton, 9-8 (8-6).
The final doubles victory gave all the momentum to the Ephs, and Williams took care of business quickly in singles. Caroline Capute tallied the fourth point at court six with a dominant straight set win over Rosalyn Chesky, 6-0, 6-0. Lucy Marchese followed just fifteen minutes later with a victory at court four to send the Ephs into the third-round with a 6-2, 6-0 result.
Williams will take on the winner of the Tufts/Skidmore match tomorrow at 12:00 a.m for a spot in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
[ ] = Order of Finish
Williams-5 vs Wheaton-0 ---- FINAL
Doubles
1. Grace Baljon/Taylor French (W) vs. Sarah
Geocaris/Catherine Teague (WHE) W 9-8
(8-6)
2. Kristin Alotta/Nikki Reich (W) vs. Allesandra
DiOrio/Katherine Knies (WHE) W 8-3
[1]
3. Lucy Marchese/Caroline Capute (W) vs. Ellen Van
Faasen/Rosalyn Chesky (WHE) W 8-3 [2]
Singles
1. Baljon (W) vs. Geocaris (WHE) DNF W
6-5
2. Alotta (W) vs. Teague (WHE) DNF
W 6-4, 1-0
3. Reich (W) vs. Van Faasen (WHE) DNF W 6-2, 4-1
4. Marchese (W) vs. DiOrio (WHE) W 6-2, 6-0
[2]
5. Nancy Worley (W) vs. Knies (WHE) DNF W 6-1, 3-0
6. Capute (W) vs. Chesky (WHE)
W 6-0, 6-0 [1]
5/15 -- 1:30 PM
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – Eleventh-ranked Tufts (15-6) and 19th-ranked Skidmore (11-7) faced off this afternoon in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Williams College. The Jumbos overcame an early 2-1 hole to take the first four singles wins and claim a spot in tomorrow’s third-round contest against the second-ranked regional host with a 5-2 defeat of the Thoroughbreds.
The Thoroughbreds came out strong and took the first two points at courts two and three, but Tufts All-American’s Julia Browne and Meghan McCooey saved the Jumbos from the dreaded 3-0 doubles hole. The pair tallied Tuft’s first point in a close 9-7 win at court one.
Tufts bounced back in singles play, taking five of six first sets. Browne started off her match with a powerful 6-0 opening set, before closing out her opponent in straight sets at court one. Janice Lam gave the Jumbos their first advantage of the match with twelve straight games at court five in a dominant straight set shut out over Nataly Mendoza of Skidmore. Lauren Hollender picked up the next point for Tufts with a straight set win at court six, while McCooey clinched the win with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Rachel Loeb at court two.
Tufts and Williams are no stranger to each other as members of the NESCAC. The two teams squared off on April 17 with the Ephs taking the match, 7-2. The third-round match will begin at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow.
Tufts 5 vs. Skidmore 2 ---match in progress
[ ] = Order of Finish
Doubles
1. Julia Browne/Meghan McCooey (T) vs.Danika
Robison/Nataly Mendoza (SK) (T)
9-7
2. Lauren Hollender/Edwina Stewart (T) vs. Laura Attley/Tory
Engros (SK) (SK) 8-5
[2]
3. Hillary Rosen/Janice Lam (T) vs. Rachel Loeb/Britany
Trimble (SK)
(SK) 8-4 [1]
Singles
1. Browne (T) vs. Robison (SK) -
(T) 6-0, 6-1
2. McCooey (T) vs. Loeb (SK) - (T) 6-2,
6-3
3. Stewart (T) vs. Attley (SK) - DNF (SK) 7-5,
3-4
4. Lam (T) vs. Mendoza (SK) - (T) 6-0,
6-0
5. LaCara (T) vs. Engros (SK) - DNF (T)
7-5, 2-5
6. Hollender (T) vs. Trimble (SK) - (T )
6-2 ,6-1
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – The Torrence M. Hunt Tournament Courts at Williams College will be the site a six-team, three-round regional sectional of the 2010 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Tournament this Friday through Sunday.
If there is inclement weather the matches will be moved inside to the four courts in the Lansing Chapman Ice Rink on the Williams campus.
Williams, seeded second in the tournament, will host Wheaton, Ithaca, Mt. St. Mary (NY), Skidmore, and Tufts this weekend to see which team advances to the NCAA quarterfinals, semifinals and finals to be played in Fredericksburg, VA, May 25 – 27.
The Ephs are seeking their third straight NCAA tennis title.
Match Schedule:
Friday, May 14th
9:30am Wheaton (16-2) vs. Ithaca (15-4)
1:30pm Mt. St. Mary (18-2) vs. Skidmore (11-6)
Saturday, May 15th
9:30am Williams (18-3) vs. winner Wheaton/Ithaca
1:30pm Tufts (14-6) vs. winner Mt. St. Mary/Skidmore
Sunday, May 16th
12:00pm Regional Tournament Final (Semifinal Winners)
