Amherst Wins 2012 Women's Tennis Crown

Courtesy Williams Sports Information

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Amherst College captured the 2012 NESCAC Women's Tennis Championship on Sunday with a 5-2 win over host Williams. The win avenges Amherst's loss in last year's title match at the hands of the Ephs.

Amherst held a 2-1lead after doubles play behind strong performances from their number one and three positions. Williams' Kathleen Elkins and Kristin Alotta were first off with an 8-2 win, but Caroline Richman and Safi Aly were quick to even the match with an 8-5 win at number three. Laura Danzig and Gabby Devlin gave Amherst a critical second point from doubles with an 8-5 win over Kara Shoemaker and Taylor French.

Kathleen Elkins evened the score a 2-2 with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Zoe Pangalos, but it was all Amherst after that. The Lord Jeff's won five of six first sets, and despite valiant efforts from Kristin Alotta at number one, and Kara Shoemaker at number two, couldn't come back. Alotta and Shoemaker each forced a third set. Shoemaker lost hers at the hands of Jennifer Newman, and Alotta was trailing when the match ended.

Caroline Richman and Gabby Devlin earned straight set victories to give Amherst their final two points. Richman beat Nancy Worley at number three, 6-2, 6-3, and Gabby Devlin took down Rebecca Curran 6-4, 6-1.

Both teams are expected to vie for a National Championship in the coming weeks. Williams has won the last four NCAA titles, beating Amherst in last year's final.

Amherst College 5, Williams College 2

Singles competition
1. Kristin Alotta (WILW) vs. Laura Danzig (AMHW) 2-6, 6-3, 2-5, unfinished
2. Jennifer Newman (AMHW) def. Kara Shoemaker (WILW) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
3. Caroline Richman (AMHW) def. Nancy Worley (WILW) 6-2, 6-3
4. Kathleen Elkins (WILW) def. Zoe Pangalos (AMHW) 6-1, 6-2
5. Gabby Devlin (AMHW) def. Rebecca Curran (WILW) 6-4, 6-1
6. Caroline Capute (WILW) vs. Safi Aly (AMHW) 6-7 (3-7), 3-4, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Laura Danzig/Gabby Devlin (AMHW) def. Kara Shoemaker/Taylor French (WILW) 8-5
2. Kristin Alotta/Kathleen Elkins (WILW) def. Jennifer Newman/Zoe Pangalos (AMHW) 8-2
3. Caroline Richman/Safi Aly (AMHW) def. Nancy Worley/Caroline Capute (WILW) 8-5

Match Notes:
Amherst College 15-3
Williams College 19-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,5,2,3)

2012 NESCAC WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
Hosted by Williams College - Friday-Sunday, May 4-6

Schedule of Matches
First Round - Friday, May 4
9:00 a.m.
No. 6 vs. No. 3
No. 5 vs. No. 4

Semifinals - Saturday, May 5
9:00 a.m.
Winner of No. 5/No. 4 vs. No. 1
Winner of No. 6/No. 3 vs. No. 2

Championship - Sunday, May 6
9:00 a.m.
Semifinal Winners

Format
The top six teams in the conference shall qualify for the championship.  The championship is a single-elimination tournament with no consolation matches.  The No. 1 seed and No. 2 seed shall receive a first round bye.  All matches will be played to decision.

Inclement Weather (Tentative)
In foul weather, the women's No. 4/No. 5 match will begin at 8:00 a.m. inside.  Additional matches will begin one half hour after the completion of the previous match.  The women's No. 3/No. 6 match will follow the No. 4/No. 5 match, followed by men's No. 4/No. 5 and men's No. 3/No. 6.  On Saturday in foul weather, the women's top half semifinal (winner No. 4/No. 5 match vs. No. 1) will begin at 8:00 a.m. inside.  Additional matches will begin one half hour after the completion of the previous match.  The women's bottom half semifinal (winner No. 3/No. 6 match vs. No. 2) will go on second, followed by the men's top half semifinal and then the bottom half semifinal.  On Sunday in foul weather, the women's championship match will start at 9:00 a.m.  The men's match will begin at 1:00 p.m. or one half hour after completion of the men's final, whichever is later.

Selection
Teams will be selected and seeded based on the following criteria (not in priority order):

Ties will be broken as follows:

• Head-to-head results
• In the event of a tie between more than two teams or a head-to-head result is not available, the following procedure will be used (in priority order):

1. NESCAC head-to-head results with tied teams
2. Win-loss record against other common NESCAC opponents
3. Win-loss record against other common in-region opponents
4. Win-loss record against other common out-of-region opponents
5. Latest ITA National ranking (in the event teams are not nationally ranked, regional rankings will be used)

Note: Only wins/losses may be used as a factor. Match score may not be used as a factor in determining seeding.

Tournament Committee
There will be separate men's and women's tournament committees consisting of four coaches each. Committee membership will rotate annually based on an alphabetical rotation. 

Announcement
The tournament committee will notify schools (and the Conference office) of the participating teams and seeding for the tournament.  Participating teams and seeding will be posted on the NESCAC web site after the committee has determined the final seeding and the appeal period has concluded.