The Emory University women’s tennis team brought home the program’s seventh top-two national finish since 1996, finishing second at the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in 2010.

Entering the NCAA Tournament as the fourth-seeded squad, the Eagles cruised through the first three rounds at the Woodruff Physical Education Center, receiving a first-round bye, followed by perfect 5-0 wins over Methodist University and sixth-seeded Washington and Lee University.  At the National Championship site in Fredericksburg, VA, Emory defeated fifth-seeded Denison 5-2 in the quarterfinals, and edged top-seeded Amherst College 5-4 to advance to the finals for the first time since 2006.  However, the Eagles fell to second-seeded Williams College in the championship match, 5-0, to end their 2010 campaign.

At the individual Division III Championships, Emory’s second-seeded doubles pairing of Zahra Dawson and Lorne McManigle finished as the national runners-up, dropping a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision to the University of Chicago’s top pairing in the championship match.  Dawson and McManigle also competed in the singles bracket, with both advancing to the round of 16 before suffering tournament ending losses.  Dawson finished the season as the ninth-ranked player in Division III, while McManigle ended the year ranked 14^th, earning both spring All-America honors.  The pairing also earned all-America recognition for the doubles performance, finishing the campaign ranked second among all Division III pairings.

Earlier in the season, the Eagles’ streak of 22-consecutive University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, dating back to the inaugural year of conference competition in 1988, came to a close as the Eagles finished second to the University of Chicago at the annual tournament.  After opening the tournament with back-to-back shutout wins over New York University and the University of Rochester, the Eagles dropped a 5-3 decision to the Maroons in the championship match.  Despite the loss, Emory still placed seven players on the all-UAA team, including four on the first team.

Emory finished its regular season with a team record of 22-6, which matched the second-highest win total in the program’s history.  It was the seventh season of 20 or more wins in the program’s history.  Highlights from the regular season included a win at the 2010 ITA Division III Women’s Indoor Championships, and a dominant 18-4 record against Division III opponents.

In the fall, the Eagles swept the Wilson/ Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) South Region Championships for the third consecutive year, as McManigle won the singles title, and later teamed with Dawson to take home the doubles championships as well.  McManigle went on to finish seventh at the ITA National Small College Singles Championships, and claimed sixth with Dawson in the doubles bracket.

Emory senior Tshema Nash led the team in singles victories during the season, going a team-best 24-3, and ended her career with a 69-27 record, giving her the 13^th-most victories in school history.  Her .889 winning percentage during the year was the seventh-best single season mark in the program’s history.  In doubles play, McManigle and Dawson led the Eagles in victories with a 23-13 record, while Nash and senior Sabra Rogers combined for a 20-5 record as a pair, giving the duo a team-high .800 winning percentage.

The Eagles earned the following honors during the 2010 season: