2008-09 Emory Women's Tennis Season Recap

2008-09 Emory Women's Tennis Season Recap

 

With a solid veteran core featuring NCAA Division III Singles Champion Lorne McManigle, supplemented by an infusion of talented young players, the Emory University women's tennis team remained one of the top programs in Division III in 2009, finishing third in the Nation at the NCAA Division III Team Championships.

Emory defeated Agnes Scott College, Washington and Lee University, and Pomona-Pitzer College in the NCAA Tournament, before falling to the eventual champions, Williams College, in the semifinal round.  The Eagles would later defeat the University of Chicago, 5-1, to clinch third-place in the Nation.

McManigle, a sophomore, would experience no such defeat in the singles championship.  Entering the field as the fifth-ranked player in the bracket, she would win all five of her tournament matches, including a 6-2, 6-1 win over the College of St. Scholastica's Ploy Suthajindawong in the title match to become the second individual champion in the program's history.

Earlier in the season, Emory won its 22nd-consecutive conference title in a highly-competitive University Athletic Association (UAA) Tournament, which featured three of the top-six teams in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) final rankings.  The Eagles defeated New York University 9-0 in the first round, followed by 5-4 victories over the fifth-ranked University of Chicago and third-ranked Carnegie Mellon University to earn the title.  Freshman Zahra Dawson, sophomore Lindsay Reidenbach, and McManigle all earned nods to the all-UAA first team.

The Eagles finished the season with a 22-5 record, including a mark of 19-3 against other Division III opponents.  The Eagles went undefeated at the Fab Five Tournament (hosted by Emory) in March, and finished second at the ITA Division III Indoor Championships.

In the fall, McManigle won the ITA Fall Regional singles tournament, and finished sixth at the ITA National Small College Championships.  McManigle teamed with junior Sabra Rogers to win the ITA Fall Regional doubles tournament, as the pair finished seventh at the Small College Championships.

After the season, Emory named 20-match winners Lorne McManigle (25-10) and Lindsay Reidenbach (24-4) its co-Most Valuable Players.  Zahra Dawson earned Rookie of the Year honors after going 23-9 in singles play.

The following Eagles earned honors during the 2008-09 season:

NCAA Division III National Champion

Lorne McManigle

Rockville, MD (Stone Ridge)

All-America (Intercollegiate Tennis Association)

Zahra Dawson

Ft. Washington, MD (Maret)

Singles (Spring)

Lorne McManigle

Rockville, MD (Stone Ridge)

Singles (Fall & Spring), Doubles (Fall)

Tshema Nash

San Marino, CA (Polytechnic)

Doubles (Spring)

Sabra Rogers

Charleston, SC (Bishop England)

Doubles (Fall & Spring)

Honda Division III Women's Collegiate Athlete of the Year Nominee

Lorne McManigle

Rockville, MD (Stone Ridge)

Regional Assistant Coach of the Year (ITA)

Meredith Vincent

All-University Athletic Association

Zahra Dawson

Ft. Washington, MD (Maret)

No. 2 Singles, No. 2 Doubles

First Team

Lorne McManigle

Rockville, MD (Stone Ridge)

No. 2 Doubles

First Team

Lindsay Reidenbach

Ponte Vedra, FL (The Bolles School)

No. 4 Singles

First Team

Tshema Nash

San Marino, CA (Polytechnic)

No. 3 Singles

Second Team

Daniela Schechter

Corpus Christi, TX (W.B. Ray)

No. 5 Singles

Second Team

Team Awards

Co-Most Valuable Players

Lorne McManigle

Lindsay Reidenbach

Rookie of the Year

Zahra Dawson

Most Improved

Daniela Schechter

Coach's Award

Laura Callava

Sportsmanship

Tshema Nash

Academic Award

Kelsey Krzyston, Lorne McManigle, Sara Vrabec, Emily Wein

20-Match Winners

Zahra Dawson, Lorne McManigle, Lindsay Reidenbach