2013-14 Emory Women’s Tennis Season Recap

Led by NCAA Singles Champion Gabrielle Clark, the Emory University Women’s Tennis Team turned in one of the most successful seasons in the program’s illustrious history in 2014, winning its sixth NCAA Division III Championship and setting a program record for wins in a year.

Other team highlights for the Eagles included a win at the 2014 University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, marking the team’s second-straight conference title, and an undefeated record against Division III opponents during the year.

The Eagles claimed their first National Title since 2006 with a 5-1 win over Amherst College in the championship match.  The Eagles received wins from sophomore Beatrice Rosen and junior Rebecca Siegler at second doubles and senior Brenna Kelly and freshman Katarina Su at third doubles, to take a 2-1 advantage over the Lord Jeffs heading into singles play.  Freshman Melissa Goodman and Clark earned wins at the fourth and first singles matches, respectively, and Su clinched the National Championship with a victory at sixth singles.

The victory in the National Championship gave Head Coach Amy Bryant the 300^th victory of her career (improving to 300-75 during her 15 years at the Eagles’ helm), as she claimed her fifth NCAA Title as Emory’s coach, to go along with one as a player for the Eagles during the 1996 season.  Bryant was later named the CaptainU Coach of the Year for NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis.

Emory, which finished the season on a 16-match winning streak, failed to drop more than one match to an opponent in an NCAA Tournament meeting, including 5-0 wins over Berry College and 19^th-ranked Washington and Lee University in Atlanta, and 5-1 wins over eighth-ranked Washington University (Mo.) in the quarterfinals and fourth-ranked Johns Hopkins University in the semifinals.

At the Individual National Championships, Clark capped off her Emory career with her second NCAA Division III Singles Championship, becoming just the fifth player in Division III Women’s Tennis history and the second Eagle to win multiple singles titles over a career.  Clark, the tournament’s top-seeded player, went 5-0 in the singles draw, winning each of her matches in straight sets, and defeating Amherst’s Jordan Brewer, the third-seeded player, 6-2, 6-1 in the finals to claim the title.  In addition, she teamed with freshman Michelle Satterfield to reach the semifinals of the doubles draw, after entering the tournament as the fourth-seeded pair.

Emory’s 28 wins during the spring surpassed the previous program record for victories in a season of 24, set in 2003 and 2004.  The Eagles’ only two losses during the year came to Division II opponents Barry University and Lynn University, which finished their seasons ranked first and fifth among D-II teams, respectively.  Emory was a perfect 20-0 against Division III teams during the year, including a 13-0 mark against ranked Division III opposition, and an 8-0 record when facing D-III teams that finished the year ranked in the top-10 nationally.

In Altamonte Springs, Florida, Emory cruised to its 25^th UAA Championship in 27 years of conference competition, defeating New York University 9-0 in the quarterfinals, the 12^th-ranked University of Chicago 9-0 in the semifinals, and seventh-ranked Carnegie Mellon University 8-1 to win the title.  Clark was named the UAA Most Valuable Player for the third time in her career, becoming just the second player in UAA women’s tennis history to win at least three conference MVP awards.  Satterfield became the second-straight Emory player and fifth overall to be named the UAA Rookie of the Year, while Bryant and Assistant Coach Christy Striplin Lynch were named the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.

Clark was named the Division III Senior Player of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), and finished the year ranked first in the national singles rankings and fourth in the doubles rankings.  She ended her career tied with former Eagle Mary Ellen Gordon with 219 combined (singles and doubles wins), and was the Eagles’ all-time leader in doubles victories with a 111-34 record.  In addition, Clark was just the second player in school history to reach the century mark in singles wins with a 108-21 career record.

Other Eagles to finish the year ranked nationally in singles play were Satterfield (34^th) and Rosen (36^th).  Satterfield ended her inaugural campaign as an Eagle with a 28-7 singles record, tying with Su for the most singles wins during the year, who notched a 28-1 singles record, including a 20-0 mark in the spring and wins in each of her last 26 singles matches.  Clark (24-4), Goodman (23-9) and sophomore Madison Gordon (22-9) were each 20-match winners in singles play as well.  In doubles action, Satterfield finished with a 31-9 record, tying for the second-most doubles wins in a single season in Emory history, while Clark (25-9) and Kelly (24-13) each added 20-win doubles campaigns.

In the fall, Satterfield became the first Emory freshman to win the singles draw at an USTA/ITA Fall South Region Championship since Serena Burkard in 2004, and just the third overall in the program's history, along with Mary Ellen Gordon in 2000.  She went on to win the Division III singles draw of the ITA Fall Small College National Championships, becoming just the second Emory freshman and fifth Eagle overall to accomplish the feat.  Satterfield also teamed with Siegler to win the doubles draw at the ITA Fall South Regionals, as the duo finished third at the Small College National Championships.

The Eagles earned the following honors during the 2013-14 season: