Box Score
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – The Williams College (20-4) women's tennis team defeated Tufts (9-10) 5-1 to capture the NCAA Regional Tournament hosted by the Ephs. With win the Ephs advance to National Quarterfinals for the eighth straight year.
Rain interrupted doubles play for an hour with Tufts leading 2-1 at one, Williams up 3-0 at two and Tufts leading 2-1 at three. After a one-hour rain delay and time to prepare the courts, action moved from the tournament courts to the newly surfaced backcourts for doubles play. Action later returned to the tournament courts for the singles play.
The Eph number two doubles team of Kathleen Elkins and Maria Pylypiv expanded their lead to 7-0, before Tufts took a game. Then Elkins and Pylypiv closed out the match with an 8-1 win, giving Williams a 1-0 lead in the match.
Tufts evened the match at one all when they collected a win at three doubles from Sophie Schonfeld and Janice Lam who downed the Eph duo of Nancy Worley and Monica Pastor 8-3.
The Ephs captured number one doubles when their top tandem of Rebecca Curran and Kara Shoemaker bounced back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the match at four all and then five all, before they opened up a 7-5 lead and then prevailed 8-6, fighting back from a 15-30 deficit in the final game to put Williams up 2-1 after doubles play.
Williams quickly recorded three straight set singles wins to collect their 20th win of the season.
Nancy Worley upped the Eph lead to 3-1 Williams, with a 6-1, 6-0 win at four singles over Shelci Bowman.
The fourth Williams team point came at number one where Kara Shoemaker notched a straight win over Lindsay Katz 6-2, 6-3.
Kathleen Elkins closed out the match for Williams when she won in straight sets at number two, downing Samantha Gann 6-1, 6-2.The sixth Eph point in the match came when Maria Pylypiv was in the middle of her final point of the second set when Elkins notched the fifth win. According to NCAA rules the match stops at decision, after any point in progress is finished. Pylypiv closed out Sophie Schonfeld on the point that was in progress when the Elikins match end and posted a 6-2, 6-1 win.
"I thought our team did a nice job of coming out strong after the rain delay," said Eph head coach Alison Swain. "Kathleen and Maria's win at two doubles was big for getting us on track as we had beaten Tufts 9-0 in the regular season. We played strong and were focused in singles."
This marks the third time in the last four years and second year in a row that the Ephs have ended the Jumbos' season in the NCAA Tournament.
Overall in 13 NCAA Tournament appearances Tufts sports a record of 14-13, while Williams becomes the first team to compile 60 Division III Tournament victories. Williams in 20 tournament appearances has compiled a record of 60-13.
Next up for the Ephs will be a national quarterfinal match on May 20th in Kalamazoo, Michigan versus the Blue Jays of Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins is 20-2 and ranked seventh nationally. The Blue Jays are riding a 16-match win streak into the National Quarterfinals.
