Box Score CHICAGO, Ill. – The Carleton College women's tennis team saw its 2022-23 season conclude with a 5-0 loss to No. 1-ranked University of Chicago in the Regional Finals (aka Sweet 16) of the NCAA Division III Championships.
Carleton (22-1) tied the school record for victories in a season with yesterday's second-round triumph over UW-Whitewater, but the Knights were unable to break that mark as they absorbed their first loss of the year.
The Maroons (21-0) have become a persistent barrier to the Knights during the NCAA Championships. Over the last twelve years, Carleton has made the national tournament six times (2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023), and five times Chicago has been the team to send the Knights home, including the last four trips to the NCAA Championships.
Chicago was the No. 2 in the nation when it defeated Carleton during the 2012 tournament. In 2014 and 2019, the Maroons were ranked No. 12 in the country when they beat the Knights in the second and third rounds, respectively. Carleton was also the top-ranked team in the country last year Carleton was sent packing by a 5-1 score.
During this year's meeting, Chicago took the early lead by sweeping doubles.
The Maroons' No. 1 doubles pairing of Sylwia Mikos and Shianna Guo sits atop the ITA's Central Region rankings and defeated Carleton's regionally-ranked tandem of
Amelia Asfaw (So./Seattle, Wash./Seattle Prep) and
Mary Hose (Jr./Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) by an 8-3 score.
The Maroons prevailed by the same score at No. 3 doubles where Nicole Geller and Lauren Khou edged the Knights'
Amanda Black (So./Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) and
Alise Pedersen (Sr./San Anselmo, Calif./The Branson School).
Weather interrupted play before the No. 2 doubles match concluded, but when play resumed Chicago's other regionally-ranked duo of Claudia Ng and Perene Wang handed an 8-4 loss to
Mariam Nechiporuk (So./Portland, Ore./Lake Oswego) and
Ingrid Smith (So./Edina, Minn./Edina), only that duo's second loss of the campaign.
Chicago's other two victories came at No. 5 and No. 6 singles. Smith ends up 13-2 on the season after falling 6-1, 6-1 to Miranda Yuan at the higher of those two lineup positions, and
Zoe Rose (So./Tacoma, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) absorbed only her second defeat of the season to finish at 15-2 following a 6-1, 6-2 setback against Ng at the sixth slot.
The top-four singles matches went unfinished as the Knights battled four regionally-ranked players for the Maroons.
At No. 1 singles, Asfaw was in position to register a team point for Carleton as the No. 19-ranked player in the Central Region took the first set from Mikos, 6-3, and led the region's top player, 3-2, in the second set when the team result was decided. Asfaw closes the season 13-2 overall in singles.
At No. 2 singles, Hose dropped the first set, 6-1, to Guo, the No. 4-ranked player in the region, but was leading the second set, 5-2, when play at the second slot was halted. Hose went 14-2 this season, closing the year with 13 consecutive victories before this one went unfinished.
Geller, ranked No. 10 in the region, led Nechiporuk 6-1, 5-2 at No. 3 singles, while the No. 18-ranked player in the region, Brooke Pederesen, held a 6-3, 3-2 lead over
Miriam Shteyman (So./Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) at No. 4 singles. With her match unfinished, Nechiporuk concludes the season 14-1 in singles, while Shyteyman wraps up the year 14-5.
