Emory University’s Zahra Dawson and Lorne McManigle came up short in their bid to bring home the school’s fifth NCAA doubles title Sunday evening as the pair lost in the NCAA Division III Doubles Championship, dropping a hard fought, three-set decision to Kendra Higgins and Chrissy Hu of the University of Chicago.

Dawson and McManigle, seeded second overall in the bracket, came out on the short end of a 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 verdict to the Maroons’ duo who defended their national title from the 2009 season. Dawson and McManigle closed out the 2009-10 campaign with a 22-13 record including an 8-3 slate in tournament matches.

A pivotal juncture in the third set took place in the sixth game.  With Emory holding a 3-2 lead, Chicago faced a triple-game break situation before rallying to win the game and tie the match at 3-3.  Using that momentum, Higgins and Hu broke Emory’s ensuing serve to take a 4-3 lead.  The Maroons then held serve to assume a 5-3 edge.  With McMaingle serving, the Eagles stayed alive at 5-4, however Chicago closed out the match on its next serve opportunity.

 The NCAA Championships were held at the Battleground Athletic Complex in Fredericksburg, VA.