GREENCASTLE, Ind. (Feb. 28, 2015) – In a match that lasted over six hours, No. 21 Sewanee women's tennis team defeated host and No. 11 DePauw, 5-4, at the prestigious ITA National Indoor Championships Saturday.
The win improved the Tigers' record to 4-1. Sewanee was playing rival and No. 20 Washington and Lee at press time.
Sewanee earned two important doubles points when Lindsey Liles and Bronte Goodhue teamed up to defeat Claire Marshall and Maggie MacPhail, 8-4. After DePauw won at No. 2, freshman Maggie Crumbliss and junior Annie Veron held on for a critical 9-7 victory against Taylor Mahr and Carolyn Huerth.
As the matched moved into the singles play, Sewanee found its young lineup with four freshmen in it. In comparison to the Tigers' starters, DePauw featured a veteran team of five seniors.
At No. 1 singles Goodhue earned a 6-2, 6-4 win against Marshall. That gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead.
Sewanee then continued its momentum as Liles won at No. 2. After the Tiger junior won the long first set 7-6 (7-4), the Little Rock, Ark., native broke MacPhail while holding her own serve for a 6-3 second-set win.
At No. 3 singles Crumbliss found herself in a long fight. Despite battling point-by-point and holding off seven match points, Crumbliss lost in a two-hour contest to give DePauw its first singles win.
The home Tigers then earned another singles win at No. 4 to pull the score to 4-3.
That left newcomers Christina Merchant and Taylor Childress on the court for Sewanee.
With Merchant up a set up after winning the first 6-3, Childress got started at the No. 6 position. In total control of her contest, Merchant ripped a forehand which forced DePauw's Kaitlin Pickrel to hit a shot long. That closed out a dominate performance by Merchant as she won the second set and match at 6-2. That win by Merchant sealed the victory for Sewanee with the score at 5-3.
DePauw would go on and win the final match with the contest already decided.
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