CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Emory University's Stephanie Taylor won third singles to clinch a 5-2 victory for the Eagles against the Tufts University women's tennis team in the NCAA Final Four at the Champions Club on Tuesday afternoon.
Emory (9-3) will attempt to win its eighth national championship tomorrow against Wesleyan University in the NCAA Division III final at 10 am. Tufts sees its best season ever in terms of NCAA finish end with a 9-2 mark.
The third doubles pair of Patricia Obeid and Maddie Suk gave Tufts some momentum heading into singles after coming from behind to win 8-7 (2). They had been down 3-0 early and then 7-5 before rallying, and the win prevented an Emory sweep in doubles.
The Eagles took the top two doubles contests. Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico and Katie Chang won the #1 match also in a tie-breaker 8-7 (3) over Jumbos Maggie Dorr and Caroline Garrido. The #2 doubles match went to Eagles Stephanie Taylor and Watson 8-5, as they scored the last three points breaking a 5-5 tie.
With Emory leading 2-1 going into singles, Watson quickly made the score 3-1 with a 6-2, 6-1 final in the #2 singles match. Gonzalez-Rico then put the Eagles on the brink of victory with a 6-3, 6-4 final over Tufts' Tilly Rigby in the top singles match making the team score 4-1 Eagles.
Nicki Frankel earned Tufts its first singles win at #5, 6-1 and 6-4 over Defne Olcay. The Jumbos were still in it down 4-2 with three matches left, but Taylor outlasted Tufts' Maddie Suk 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 at #3 to finish the victory for the Eagles.
Jumbo Zoe Kava was leading her #6 singles contest in the third set when the match ended. Tufts' Casey Cummings was up a set and competing in a close second on the fourth singles court.
Head coach Kate Bayard's Tufts team was playing in its first-ever Final Four.
Rigby in singles and the doubles duo of Dorr and Garrido will compete in the NCAA Individual Championships at the site beginning Friday.
