<rleton College women’s tennis team took an early lead during doubles en route to a 5-1 victory over Grinnell College in the opening round of the NCAA Championships. Juniors Molly Hemes ‘14 and Katherine Greenberg ‘14 recorded victories in both singles and doubles.
This is the second straight year that the Knights (16-7) topped the Pioneers in the first round of the national tournament. Hemes and Greenberg picked up the first point in the team competition with a decisive 8-0 victory at third doubles, followed by an 8-2 victory at first doubles by the regionally-ranked tandem of Bridget Doyle ‘13 and Anne Lombardi ‘14.
Grinnell earned its only point of the day at second doubles, as Laura Krull and Emma Macdonald took a close 9-8 match over Mikayla Becich ‘16 and Grace Davis ‘16.
Upon moving to singles, the depth of the Carleton roster took over. At the fifth slot, Claire Spencer ‘16 swept her first set and went on to notch a 6-0, 6-2 victory. Hemes continued her strong outing, prevailing 6-1, 6-1 at fourth singles. That decision set the stage for Greenberg to clinch the victory for the Knights with a 6-1, 6-2 win at sixth singles. Lombardi and Becich were leading their matches as well, but those went unfinished once the team result was determined.
Unfortunately for the Knights, they were not able to continue their first round success into round number two. Matching up against No. 26 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater during the regional semifinals of the NCAA Championships, Carleton saw its 2013 campaign come to an end with a narrow 5-3 defeat. The back-and-forth match featured three ties and one lead change during the team competition.
UW-Whitewater (21-8) picked up the first point with an 8-5 win at second doubles as Megan Kasten and Jackie Vitale topped Mikayla Becich and Grace Davis.
The Knights (16-8) evened things up as Doyle and Lombardi posted their 10th consecutive victory. This one was an 8-6 triumph over the regionally ranked duo of Alexandra Baylis and Sydney Divelbiss at first doubles.
The Warhawks momentarily edged back in front when Lauren Aguilar and Kelly Foster won 8-6 over Greenberg and Hemes, snapping the juniors seven-match win streak.
Claire Spencer posted a quick 6-3, 6-1 victory over Aguilar at fifth singles, leveling the match at two points apiece. Becich moved Carleton in front when she prevailed against Vitale at third singles by a 6-2, 6-4 margin.
The match was tied back up at 3-3 when UWW’s Kasten came out on top at fourth singles. Doyle dropped the opening set of her match against Divelbiss but came back to force the match to a third set. However, that match went unfinished as the Warhawks notched wins at second and sixth singles to close out the match.
Doyle, Lombardi earn bid to NCAA Doubles Championships
The doubles team of Bridget Doyle ‘13 and Anne Lombardi ‘14 has earned a bid to the NCAA Division III Doubles Championships. The pair’s No. 4 ranking in the Central Region secured them a spot among the sixteen teams selected to participate in the tournament May 23-25 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Earlier this week, both Doyle and Lombardi received All-MIAC honors in both singles and doubles. Doyle has earned All-Conference honors in each of her four years as a Knight, and Lombardi is on track to do the same, receiving All-MIAC for three consecutive years.
Each recorded impressive singles seasons, Doyle with a conference record of 6-2 and Lombardi 7-1, but the pair was unstoppable together. Combined, they went a perfect 8-0 in MIAC doubles competition, and 2-1 within the Central Region.
Doyle and Lombardi are the first Carleton women’s doubles team to compete in the NCAA Championships since Sarah Russell and Amanda Santa Romana did so in 2004.