The third-ranked Emory University women's tennis team won the
second-annual Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III
Women's Indoor Championship on Sunday with a win over the
fourth-ranked University of Chicago.
The Eagles claimed a 6-3 win over their University Athletic
Association (UAA) rival, avenging a loss in the ITA indoor finals
last season to another UAA squad, Carnegie Mellon
University.
Emory jumped out to a 2-1 lead after doubles play, winning the
matches in the top-two positions. Emory's Zahra
Dawson and Lorne McManigle combined for a
dominating 8-2 win over Chicago's Kendra Higgins and Chrissy Hu,
last year's NCAA doubles champions. In the second doubles
match, senior all-Americans Tshema Nash and
Sabra Rogers earned an 8-2 victory as well.
Chicago was able to salvage a point in the third doubles match, as
Lindsay Reidenbach and Jordan
Wylie dropped a 8-5 decision.
The tide turned towards Chicago early in the singles matches, as
Wylie fell 6-2, 6-4 to Jennifer Kung in the third singles match,
and McManigle lost to Higgins 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the first, giving
the Maroons a 3-2 lead over Emory. However, after losing the
first set of her match 7-5, Dawson would battle back against Carmen
Vaca Guzman in the next two, winning 7-6 and 6-1 in the second
singles contest.
Reidenbach would win the fourth singles match as well, 6-3, 6-1,
putting the Eagles a point away from a victory. Nash would
oblige for Emory, earning a strong 6-1, 6-0 victory in the fifth
singles match to clinch the win. With the match in hand,
Sara Vrabec added to the win with a 6-3, 7-6 win
in the sixth singles contest.
The Eagles, who have been under the leadership of assistant coach
Meredith Vincent since the start of the season with head coach Amy
Bryant out on maternity leave, have now jumped out to a 7-2 start
to the season, and a 6-0 record against Division III
opponents. In the last three matches, Emory has now beaten
teams ranked 13th, eighth and fourth in the nation.
With the ITA Division III Women's Indoor Championship in hand, the
Eagles will now turn their attention towards Birmingham Southern
College, who the Eagles will host at 3:00 PM on Thursday, March
4th.