Eph Tennis History
The Williams women’s tennis team has earned many accolades
and titles since the team’s inception in 1971.
Beginning with the 1993-94 academic year, NESCAC allowed teams to
participate in the NCAA Division III Tennis Championships for the
first time in the conference’s history. This move
transitioned the Williams tennis team from competing at the highest
level among New England small colleges, to setting their sights on
achievements at the national level.
In its first NCAA tournament, Williams finished 2nd overall,
falling in the finals to UC San Diego with Julie Greenwood
’96 and Becky Mallory ’94 capturing the NCAA
championship title in doubles. Since this first year of
national competition, Williams has qualified and competed in the
NCAA championship tournament every year, winning a second doubles
championship title in 1996 with the partnership of Julie Greenwood
and Porter Harris ’96.
The Ephs won their first NCAA team championship in 2001 and
repeated in 2002, becoming the first Division III women’s
tennis team to win back-to-back championships. In 2007, the
team reestablished itself at the top of Division III tennis with
its fourth place finish in the tournament.
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2001 NCAA Champs: (l. to r.): Julie
Mallory, Brooke Gibson, |
The philosophy of the program is grounded in each player's
commitment to the team. The team is a close group of highly trained
and highly skilled tennis players who work hard to maintain the
program's success. Workouts are designed to maximize team
improvement. Practice time is used to improve the strength of the
doubles teams, to improve singles strategy through drills and
conditioned sets, and to increase court coverage through speed
work.
The Williams women’s tennis team competes in both the fall
and spring seasons. During the fall, Williams faces the best
Division III competition in New England and New York including:
Amherst, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Wellesley, and Tufts.
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2002 NCAA Champs: Kneeling (l. to r.):
Tri-Capt. Jasmine |
Additionally, the Ephs compete in the ITA Tournament each fall
where several former Williams players have earned All-American
honors for winning either the doubles or singles draws. In
2007 junior Cary Gibson took home the singles title, winning in 3
sets over teammate and runner-up Grace Baljon while the doubles
tandem of Allie Rottkamp ’08 and Nikki Reich ’11 earned
a second place finish in the doubles draw. Since the 1990s, 16
Williams players have earned All-American honors.
The fall season culminates with the New England Team
Championships, which features six singles flights and three doubles
flights. In 2007, Grace Baljon ‘10 repeated as the #2
singles flight champion while Lucy Marchese ’11 and Ashley
Parsons ’10 won the #3 and #5 singles flights,
respectively. Additionally the team brought home a first
place finish in the #3 doubles flight and second place finishes in
the #1 and #2 doubles flights.
In recent history, Williams won or was crowned co-champions of the
New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT) in
2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. Since 2005, the NEWITT tournament
crowns individual champions and no longer awards a team title.
The off-season of November - February is a time when athletes can
raise their endurance levels, make technique changes, and increase
their strength training programs. Players who do not play a winter
sport are encouraged to hit informally with other teammates on the
four indoor courts in the Towne Field House.
The spring season, which starts February 15, is designed to
prepare the team and individuals for national level competition.
The team uses a trip over spring break to travel to warmer climates
and compete against top teams from other NCAA regions. Last
year’s one and a half week spring break featured wins over
Pomona, Claremont, Trinity (TX), Emory, and eventual NCAA
champions, Washington & Lee.
Dual matches are scheduled at the end of April against top New
England opponents in order to prepare for the NCAA championships.
Additionally, the team competes in the traditional Williams -
Amherst - Wesleyan Little Three Championships every spring with
Williams winning the championship 13 times. The NCAA
championships are scheduled for mid-late May each year and
culminate the spring season for the Ephs.
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The Torrence M. Hunt
Tournament
Courts have hosted NCAA & ITA Tournam
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The tennis facilities offer the serious tennis player a place to
train throughout the academic year. The tennis program uses 19 hard
courts for practices and matches. In the fall and the spring, the
team has eight indoor courts available. During the winter, the team
has access to four indoor courts in Towne Field House. Williams is
a terrific option for the student-athlete who wants to continue to
improve her tennis game while receiving the best in liberal arts
education.
The Williams women's tennis program has consistently produced
successful, competitive teams since the program's inception in
1971. The Williams team has finished among the top ten schools in
New England Division III every year since 1971, and in the 1990's
has established itself as one of the top Division III schools both
in New England and nationally (NCAA champions 2001 & 2002,
second place 1999, third place 2003 & 2004, 4th place 2007).
The team has qualified for the NCAA National Division III Team
Championships each year since it was first eligible in 1994.
Ultimately, the team’s commitment to competitive excellence
and each other continues their legacy of success.
