Williams Claims Third Consecutive NCAA Women's Tennis Championship

Courtesy Williams Sports Information

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Williams College women’s tennis (23-3) won its third consecutive NCAA title and fifth overall with an impressive 5-0 win over Emory University (22-6).

On March 28th the Ephs upset Emory at Emory 6-3 by sweeping doubles and winning the top three singles matches. While revenge may have been on the minds of the Emory Eagles today the Ephs gave Emory no time to plant the seeds of an upset.

As they did in March at Emory the Ephs opened up the match by sweeping the doubles. The Eph three doubles team of Lucy Marchese and Caroline Capute got Williams on track to the title by blanking their Emory opponents (8-0) to give the Ephs a quick 1-0 lead.

The threes set the tone for the doubles play as shortly after that match the Williams second doubles team came off the court with a win. Kristin Alotta and Nikki Reich teamed up to collect a comfortable 8-2 victory over Emory's Tshema Nash and Sabra Rogers and to make it 2-0 Williams. Nash/Rogers had entered the match with a 20-4 record this season in doubles.

The Ephs top doubles team of Grace Baljon and Taylor French then capped off the doubles sweep with an 8-3 victory, making the score Williams 3 and Emory 0, heading into singles play.

"The Gustavus match was the best doubles we played this year that is, until today," noted Swain. "The girls were inside the court, hitting volleys and they just took it to whole other level today. Inspiring."

For the second day in a row sophomore Caroline Capute mad fast work of her match at six singles, this time downing Sara Vrabec in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. The Capute win moved the Ephs within one point of winning their third straight NCAA title.

Capute made her debut in the Eph lineup with the first match of the spring season and she has seized the opportunity to be in the Eph lineup. "Caroline is a very, very hard worker," noted Swain. "She is always working on her game and she is extremely coachable. Her mental game has really developed in college and you can see she just wants to be on the court all of the time. She beat a very good player today."

Junior Nikki Reich brought home the Ephs third consecutive NCAA title with a straight set conquest at number three singles, defeating Emory's Jordan Wylie 6-4, 6-2. As Wylie's last shot sailed over the end line Reich let shouted with glee, "We won ! We won !," just before she was engulfed by her teammates and coaches.

The clincher by Reich was the second time she had closed out an NCAA championship match for the Ephs, having posted the decisive win in a 5-4 triumph over Washington & Lee with a three-set win at four singles to start the Eph tournament title streak back in 2008.

"It took a lot of determination and focus to keep the momentum in singles and close out the match," stated Swain. "You could really see some of the Williams tennis intangibles that I talk to the girls about come into play. All of the singles were close and Emory really battled us."

After a hard fought 5-4 win over the University of Chicago yesterday on a brutally hot day in the semifinal round there was some question as to how well the Ephs would respond by having to return to the court in less than 18 hours to play on another hot day. "It was very hot again today," said Swain. "My shoes were melting on the court. If the match had gone longer things might have been different. These girls are smart. They know how to take care of themselves and get the rest they need."

The 2010 championship matched paired the two most successful programs in NCAA Division III with Emory having won 5 previous titles and the Ephs winning 4, including the last two in a row. Today's win lifted the Ephs into a tie with Emory for the most team titles by one school.

The Ephs met Emory in one other NCAA final prior to today and that was in 2002 in Sweet Briar, Virginia and the Ephs came out on top 6-3.

Emory has appeared in 26 consecutive NCAA Tournaments and they have compiled an overall record of 42-22 (.667), which includes five titles, two second place finishes, three third place finishes and one fourth place finish.

Williams has rung up an NCAA Tournament record of 48-13 (.787) in 17 tries, which includes five titles, two seconds, two thirds and one fourth place finish.

Eph seniors Grace Baljon and Ashley Parsons closed out their Williams careers with an overall record of 84-14 (.857) an NCAA Tournament record of 18-2 (.900), which featured three NCAA titles and a 15–match win streak.

Eph head coach Alison Swain has now been a part of four of the five Eph NCAA title teams, winning the first Eph title in 2001 as a senior captain and guiding her first three Williams teams to the NCAA crown. Swain has a personal streak of 20 consecutive wins in the NCAA Tournament as a player (5) and coach (15). Swain's NCAA Tournament coaching record currently is a glittering 15-0.

The Ephs doubles team of Grace Baljon/Taylor French will remain in Fredericksburg to compete in the NCAA Doubles Championship, while Baljon and Kristin Alotta will compete in the Singles Championship. Singles and doubles play will begin tomorrow morning.

Williams 5, Emory 0
[ ] = Order of Finish

Doubles
1. Grace Baljon/Taylor French (W) def. Zahra Dawson/Lorne McManigle (EU) – 8-3 [3]
2. Kristin Alotta/Nikki Reich (W) def. Tshema Nash/Sabra Rogers (EU) – 8-2 [2]
3. Lucy Marchese/Caroline Capute (W) def. Lindsay Reidenbach/Jordan Wylie (EU) – 8-0 [1]

Singles
1. Zahra Dawson (EU) vs. Grace Baljon (W) – 7-5, 1-2 DNF
2. Kristin Alotta (W) vs. Lorne McManigle (EU) – 7-6(7-4), 2-1 DNF
3. Nikki Reich (W) def. Jordan Wylie (EU) – 6-4, 6-2 [5]
4. Lucy Marchese (W) vs. Tshema Nash (EU) – 6-1, 6-6(0-2) DNF
5. Nancy Worley (W) vs. Lindsay Reidenbach (EU) – 6-4, 3-0 DNF
6. Caroline Capute (W) def. Sara Vrabec (EU) – 6-0, 6-0 [4]