LAKE GENEVA, Wis. – The No. 14-ranked Carleton College women's tennis team opened the NCAA Championships with a 5-1 victory over No. 43 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Knights (18-0) advance to faced No. 13 Case Western Reserve University in the Friday's second round.
"Well-played match today," said Carleton assistant coach
Aaron Chaput. "The Knights had to be ready to compete against a strong, well-coached team from UW-Whitewater. It was good competition and tennis from both teams, and we were able to come out on top."
Carleton is making its third consecutive and 10th all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, while UW-Whitewater (10-10) was in the tournament for the 16th consecutive season.
UW-Whitewater is the host for this six-team regional, but the match was forced to move indoors to Lake Geneva Tennis due to rainy weather.
Carleton's top doubles team of
Amelia Asfaw and
Mary Hose, the No. 9 ranked duo in the Central Region, trailed 3-2 before finding their rhythm and winning the final six games to notch a decisive 8-3 triumph. Asfaw and Hose improved to 13-0 as a pairing on the season.
The No. 3 doubles result went in UW-Whitewater's favor. Carleton rookies
Kat Smiricinschi and
Ryann Witter fell behind 5-0 but won the next four games to pull within 5-4. They alternated the final five games with the duo of Alexandra Repplier and Mackenzie Lindow as the Warhawks held on to earn an 8-6 victory.
The Knights built a 2-1 lead after doubles as
Mariam Nechiporuk and
Ingrid Smith rallied for an 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles. After leading early in the match, the Carleton juniors faced a 6-4 deficit. They responded by claiming the next four games to win the match, 8-6. It was Nechiporuk and Smith's eighth consecutive victory, improving their season record to 11-2.
The Knights carried the momentum from doubles over to singles, winning at each of the top three spots to seal the team result.
Nechiporuk was first to close out her match, prevailing 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3 singles. Hose, the No. 18-ranked singles player in the region was next to finish, posting 6-2, 6-1 result as she moved her season ledger to 16-1 overall.
Asfaw, ranked No. 15 in the region, remains undefeated this season as she raced past No. 19 Cassanda Lee by a 6-2, 6-0 margin to clinch the team victory for Carleton.
Miriam Shteyman led 6-2, 3-3 at No. 4 singles when play was halted.
Kiley Pickens dropped the first set at No. 5 singles 6-3 and trailed 3-2 in the second set. Due to court space constraints, Witter's No. 6 singles match had yet to begin before the team result was determined.
Interestingly, these teams were scheduled to play each other back on March 23 – during Spring Break in Hilton Head, S.C. – but rainy weather did not leave enough time to complete a full match, so they converted that day's play into a scrimmage.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton faces No. 13 Case Western Reserve University at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, May 10. The rainy weather is expected to clear out, so it is anticipated that play will return to the UW-Whitewater campus and be held at the Warhawk Outdoor Tennis Complex. The victor in Friday's contest will face either No. 33 Hope College or No. 3 University of Chicago in the Regional Final on Saturday.
