POST-MATCH INTERVIEW
MASON, OH. — The Williams College women's tennis team defeated archrival Amherst for the fourth time this season Tuesday, 5-1, returning to the NCAA Div. III Tournament national championship match 12 months after the Lord Jeffs ended their run of titles at six in a row, also in a national semifinal.
The Ephs, ranked No. 1 and now 24-0, will take on No. 2 Emory (20-3) in the championship Wednesday at 11 a.m. back at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The two teams met at Washington & Lee University on March 28 with the Ephs emerging 6-3 victors. The Eagles — the defending national champions — defeated Claremont Mudd Scripps in the other semifinal Tuesday, 5-1.
"We are thrilled to be back in the championship match," Ephs' head coach Alison Swain said. "It's a huge accomplishment and I am so proud of every one of the girls. Right now we're going to take some time to enjoy this win, and then tonight we'll start preparing for tomorrow."
Williams most recent win over the Jeffs prior to Tuesday was in the NESCAC Championship match at Middlebury on May 3rd. On that day, the Ephs trailed 2-1 after doubles but won 5-2. In Tuesday's semifinal, the Ephs reversed that, coming out of doubles with a 2-1 lead.
First-years Julia Cancio and Mia Gancayco teamed up at one doubles and got off to a strong start, taking a 4-1 lead over Amherst's Sue Ghosh and Vickie Ip. The two pairs traded wins for a bit before the Eph tandem took the last two for an 8-3 win.
Senior Rebecca Curan and junior Maya Hart won an 8-5 decision over Safi Aly and Sarah Monteagudo at three. Their match was tied 3-3 when the Eph duo won four straight games to pull away. It was Curran's 109th doubles win in her career at Williams, extending her career record.
"We worked hard on doubles after NESCAC because of that," Swain said of the deficit at the conference title match. "We came in really prepared to have a strong start and even though the matches were close at the beginning, we trusted our game plan and were able to pull away."
The Ephs left little doubt in which team would emerge victorious once singles play began as five of the six Williams players won first sets. At one singles, first year Juli Raventos made quick work of Ip, taking her match 6-2, 6-2 to give Williams a 3-1 lead.
Classmate Julie Cancio was next off the court after a 6-3, 6-3 sweep of Megan Adamo at five singles and sophomore Hannah Atkinson put the finshing touches on the win with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Claire Carpenter at six singles, improving to 18-1 on the season.
"I'm really proud of her," Swain said of Atkinson, "being so prepared to step in and play at a high level. And Juli played commanding tennis at one singles. I'm just so proud of the entire team for maintaining their confidence and sticking with what they each do best."
In the unfinished matches Tuesday, Linda Shin was up 6-0, 5-6 at two singles; Curran was down 4-6, 2-4 at three and Gancayco was up 7-6, 3-5 at four when the match concluded.
Williams is now 4-3 against Amherst in NCAA Tournament play. The Ephs are 6-1 against Emory in NCAA Tournament action, winning the national title match against the Eagles in 2002, 2010 and 2013. Emory did defeat the Ephs in the national semifinals in 2002.
#1 Williams (Mass.) 5, #7 Amherst (Mass.) 1
Singles competition
1. Juli Raventos (WILW) def. Vickie Ip (AMHW) 6-2, 6-2
2. Linda Shin (WILW) vs. Sue Ghosh (AMHW) 6-0, 5-6, unfinished
3. Rebecca Curran (WILW) vs. Jackie Calla (AMHW) 4-6, 2-4, unfinished
4. Mia Gancayco (WILW) vs. Sarah Monteagudo (AMHW) 7-6, 3-5, unfinished
5. Julia Cancio (WILW) def. Megan Adamo (AMHW) 6-3, 6-3
6. Hannah Atkinson (WILW) def. Claire Carpenter (AMHW) 6-2, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. Julia Cancio/Mia Gancayco (WILW) def. Sue Ghosh/Vickie Ip (AMHW) 8-3
2. Jackie Calla/Maddy Sung (AMHW) def. Juli Raventos/Linda Shin (WILW) 8-6
3. Rebecca Curran/Maya Hart (WILW) def. Safi Aly/Sarah Monteagudo (AMHW) 8-5
Match Notes:
Amherst (Mass.) 18-4; National ranking #7
Williams (Mass.) 24-0; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (,1,5,6)
Semifinals of the 2015 NCAA III Women's Tennis Championships
T-3:22 A-50
