ORLANDO, Fla. - The University of the South doubles duo
Katherine Petty and
Brooke Despriet cruise past Allaire Berl/Eleni Lazaridou (12-3) of Kenyon College, 6-1, 6-1, in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NCAA Division III Doubles Championships from the USTA Campus Center.
Sewanee got out to a 2-0 lead before Kenyon cut the deficit in half. In the next game, Despriet and Petty, down 30, love, won the next three rallies to take a 3-1 lead.
From there, the momentum stayed with the Tigers, as they clinched the final three games to take the opening set thanks to four double faults by the Owls.
In the second set, the Purple Tigers stormed out to a 4-0 lead. The first game of the set saw an ace by Despriet and Petty.
After Kenyon won the next game to avoid the shutout, Sewanee finished the job with three straight victories to seal the victory.
Winning their 20th contest of the season (20-6), the Tiger duo is now 10-0 in tournament matches this season. Posting eight wins in the fall, they secured the ITA Cup Fall National Championship back in October.
With the win, the Sewanee team becomes the second in program history to make it to the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship, joining Cameron Tyer and Becky Jo Doncaster in 1992.
Check out the clinching point below.
Despriet and Petty will play for a spot in the Doubles National Championship in the semifinals on Sunday at noon ET / 11 a.m. CT.
The duo will take on 4-seed Danna Taylor and Crystal Zhou of Carnegie Mellon. They will face off for the second time this season. Playing at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships back on March 4, Despriet/Petty defeated Zhou/Taylor in a top-10 matchup, 8-6, as the Tigers knocked off the Tartans, 8-1, in a consolation match.
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