ORLANDO, Fla. - For the first time in program history, the University of the South women's tennis team will play for a national championship at the individual draw, as sophomore
Brooke Despriet and junior
Katherine Petty defeated No. 2 seed Crystal Zhou and Danna Taylor of Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.), 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, Sunday from the USTA National Campus.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After each doubles team took the first two games, it was all Sewanee, winning the next five points in a row. In the seventh game, after a back-and-forth battle to get to a deuce, the Tigers won the next two serves to clinch the win.
Leading 5-2 in the next game, CMU took a 30, love advantage after back-to-back double faults. However, that did not phase Despriet and Petty, as they won the next three rallies to make it a 40, 30 advantage.
Zhou and Taylor (29-10) forced the game back to deuce on the next rally, but that would be as close as they would get, as Despret and Petty won the final two to take the first set, 6-2.
The Tartans got out to a strong start in the second set by winning the first three points before Sewanee won two of the next three to make it a 4-2 deficit. However, CMU clinched the last two points to win, 6-3, and force a deciding third set.
Despite Carnegie Mellon winning the final two points in the second frame, the momentum immediately shifted to the Tiger duo, as they stormed out to a 4-0 lead.
In the next two games, the Tartans had help of a couple of double faults and an ace to cut the deficit in half, 4-2.
With the Tigers serving in the next game, after each team won a rally to make it 15-all, Sewanee won three of the next four to make it 5-2. In the deciding game, Despriet and Petty (21-6) rolled past Carnegie Mellon to make it to the National Championship Match.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
For the University of the South women's tennis, it is the first time in program history that an individual, singles or doubles, will play for a national championship.
On the women's side, they surpass Becky Jo Doncaster C'93 and Cameron Tyer C'93, who made it to the Doubles semis in 1992. Also that season, Tyer made it to the Singles semifinals.
For the men's side, Pat Guerry C'89 made it to the Singles semifinals twice in 1986 and 1989.
For the University of the South, it is the the first time since 2000 that an individual will have a chance to finish either first or second at a National Championship.
Jon Morris C'99 took second place in the three-meter diving event at the 1999 NCAA Championships, while Heather Stone C'00 earned silver in the 1,500 meter run at the 1999 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the 800 Meter Run at both the Indoor and Outdoor National Championships in 2000.
Stone is the only national individual national champion in program history, winning the 1,500 meter races at both the 2000 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
The Sewanee duo will take on Babson College's Olivia Soffer and Matia Cristiani (23-3) for the Division III Doubles Championship on Monday.
Below are the roads for each doubles team to the doubles final:
Brooke Despriet/Katherine Petty, University of the South
- Round of 16: Defeated No. 2 Hannah Kassaie (Case Western Reserve), 6-4, 6-4
- Quarterfinals: Defeated Allaire Berl/Eleni Lazaridou (Kenyon), 6-1, 6-1
- Semifinals: Defeated No. 4 Danna Taylor/Crystal Zhou (Carnegie Mellon), 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
Matia Cristiani/Olivia Soffer, Babson College
- Round of 16: Defeated Ioanna Giannakou/Sabrina Tang (Grinnell), 6-1, 6-2
- Quarterfinals: Defeated No. 3 Emily Kantrovitz/Ana Cristina Perez (Emory), 6-2, 6-3
- Semifinals: Defeated Lauren Rha/Nina Ye (Pomona-Pitzer), 6-3. 3-6, 6-3
For Babson, Soffer and Cristiani are the first doubles team in program history to qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship.
These two teams were scheduled to play another out in California during spring break on March 14, but Mother Nature had other plans and the match was canceled.
Soffer, the top-seed in the Singles draw, will play for the Singles National Championship on Monday at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT prior to the doubles contest.
UP NEXT
The 2023 NCAA Division III Doubles National Championship will take place on Monday at noon ET / 11 a.m. CT on Team USA Court Number 1.
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