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CLAREMONT, CA -- For the third time in her career sophomore Nancy Worley delivered the 5th and deciding point in an NCAA Tournament match, but this point may live forever in Eph tennis history as it lifted the Williams over archrival Amherst 5-4 for the NCAA title.
"This championship is truly a testament to the strength of the girls and the effort they have put into this team. They had heart, believed, and were incredibly dedicated to the program," remarked Coach Alison Swain.
The title is the Ephs 4th straight tying them with Emory for most consecutive titles won and giving Williams a 6-5 lead over Emory for most NCAA titles.
Williams head coach Alison Swain '01, who played doubles on the Ephs first NCAA title team in 2001, is now 20-0 in NCAA Tournament play, winning all four titles contested.
Worley was down a set and trailing 4-1 in the second set when she rallied to win the second set 7-5. She won six of the last seven games of set two to force a third set. Worley again was forced to make a comeback in the third set when she fell behind 5-3 with Amherst's Lauren Danzig serving for the match.
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| Nancy Worley '13 |
The steely sophomore just would not relinquish any points from the baseline and forced Danzig into making key errors. In the tie breaker the two split the first two points before Worley opened up a 5-1 lead. Danzig won the next point to make it 5-2, but that was as close as she would get as Worley snapped off the last two points or the win.
As a freshman in 2010, Worley clinched a berth in the NCAA finals with the final point against UChicago.
The way the Ephs exploded out of the gates to sweep the doubles, most in attendance and watching on the web never expected this match to come down to a third set tie break for the title. Well, welcome to the Wiliams - Amherst rivarly. This is for keeps when these two teams square off.
After the match, Coach Swain praised the three doubles pairings for their phenomenal play. "All year long, doubles has been our weakness and to put it together in the tournament and not drop a match is something I am proud of. The girls fought hard and I am inspired and impressed by their heart."
The Ephs went undefeated in doubles throughout the entire NCAA tournament.
Collecting the other singles victory for the Ephs was the sole freshman in the Williams lineup. Kathleen Elkins, playing at the four singles spot, topped Gabby Devlin 6-4, 6-1 to help the Ephs to the title. Elkins' win brought the match score to 4-3 in favor of the Ephs.
The three seniors on the Williams team, Katie Freedman, Lucy Marchese, and Nikki Reich, end their career with four National Championships. "These girls mean so much to me. They were my first class and they are such tough competitors. Lucy has overcome so much with injuries and is playing the best tennis of her career, and Katie has displayed unparalleled leadership all year long. Katie was the assistant coach on the sidelines all tournament long and her guidance helped us win many matches," commented Swain.
The Ephs end the 2011 campaign at 22-3.
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| Ecstatic Ephs mob Nancy Worley at match's end |
Doubles
#1 Nikki Reich/Lucy Marchese (Williams) d. Jordan Brewer/Gabby Delvin (Amherst) 8-6
#2 Kristin Alotta/Taylor French (Williams) d. Laura Danzig/Natasha Brown (Amherst) 8-3
#3 Caroline Capute/Kathleen Elkins (Williams) d. Mimi Bell/Caroline Richman (Amherst) 8-3
Singles
#1 Jordan Brewer (Amherst) d. Kristin Alotta (Williams) 6-3, 6-3
#2 Nancy Worley (Williams) d. Laura Danzig (Amherst) 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2)
#3 Carlissa King (Amherst) d. Lucy Marchese (Williams) 6-4, 6-4
#4 Kathleen Elkins (Williams) d. Gabby Devlin (Amherst) 6-4, 6-1
#5 Caroline Richman (Amherst) d. Nikki Reich (Williams) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
#6 Narasha Brown (Amherst) d. Caroline Capute (Williams) 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles: 3, 2, 1; Singles: 1, 6, 3, 4, 5, 2
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| The 2011 Ephs swept all three doubles points in all of their NCAA matches |
