Duke and UCLA Meet Again Monday with ITA Women's Team Indoor Championship on the Line

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Charlottesville, VA--

When Duke and UCLA meet Monday morning, both aiming for a second ITA Women's Team Indoor title for their programs, seven of the competitors will be taking memories of the championship match between the schools two years ago, on the same Boar's Head Sports Club courts.  UCLA came away with a 4-0 victory then, but five of the six singles matches went to a full third set, a scenario that can't happen Monday with the experimental format mandating match tiebreakers if the players split sets.

For the second day in a row, No. 7 seed Duke found itself neck deep in match tiebreakers at the end of the match.Their 4-2 quarterfinal win Saturday over defending champion and No. 2 seed North Carolina ended with three match tiebreakers, and in Sunday's 4-2 victory over No. 6 seed Cal four of the last five matches were decided in that fashion.

The doubles point went to Duke, with the Blue Devils' Trice Capra and Hanna Mar defeating Anett Schutting and Maegan Manasse 7-6(4) at line 1, after Duke's Ester Goldfeld and Alyssa Smith had beaten Denise Starr and Kelly Chui 6-3 at line 2, and Cal's Lynn Chi and Alice Duranteau had downed Annie Mulholland and Marianne Jodoin 7-5 at line 3.  Schutting's double fault at 4-4 in the tiebreaker gave Duke its chance, and Capra took advantage with a big serve of her own on the next point to give her team two match points. They only needed one, with Schutting netting a forehand to end it.

The teams split first sets, which meant Cal had get to a match tiebreaker in at least one to stand a chance of winning.  There would be no comeback for Cal's Starr, playing at No. 1 for the first time this weekend, however, with Capra closing out a routine 6-2, 6-2 win for a 2-0 Duke lead.

At No. 5, Cal's Klara Fabikova had already reached a match tiebreaker, and she gave the Bears a huge boost with her 4-6, 6-3, 10-3 win over Rachel Kahan, making it 2-1 Duke.  Zsofi Susanyi tied it up for Cal with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Smith at line 4, and the Bears were close to another point when Chi earned her way into a match tiebreaker against Mar at line 3. But Mar recovered nicely from dropping the second set and made it 3-2 Duke with a 6-3, 3-6, 10-4 victory.

"That's a tough thing to do the way the format is," said Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth. "I think it favors the person who wins the second set. To come back and put that out of your mind right away is a tough thing to do. Hanna did a really good job of negating that."

Needing only one more point, Duke would need to win it in a match tiebreaker, with Ester Goldfeld earning her chance against Shutting at line 2, just after Jodoin took the second set from Cal's Manasse at line 6.

Jodoin, a senior, was up 7-4, but Manasse won four straight points, three of them with fist-pump-producing winners.  Jodoin ended the Cal freshman's streak with a backhand passing shot winner, and when Manasse's forehand went just long, Jodoin had her first match point. Manasse saved it with backhand approach up the middle, and Jodoin netted her attempted pass making it 9-9.  Jodoin earned her second match point with a forehand deep into Manasse's backhand corner that she couldn't handle, and the match ended with Manasse's forehand approach finding the net.

Four courts away, Schutting and Goldfeld were at 3-4 in their match tiebreaker, showing just how slim the difference between the two teams was.

"Another one with three tiebreakers going on at the same time," said Ashworth. "Maybe tomorrow we can do four or five at the same time."

After last season, when Ashworth was unable to field a complete team due to injuries and Capra's academic suspension, making another National championship final is a welcome change.

"Our goal for this weekend before we left Duke was to make a statement about where our program is," Ashworth said. "So far we've been able to do that. I value it a lot, having gone through what we did last year. You start to take things for granted a little bit because of the success we've had, but you shouldn't take things for granted. You learn from it, and understand everyone's going to go through a year like that. They did a great job competing last year, and I think it's helped a lot of them this year to be honest."

With its 4-0 semifinal win over unseeded Northwestern, fourth seed UCLA has now reached the Women's Team Indoor final for three consecutive years, beating Duke for its first title in 2012, then losing a 4-3 decision in a third set tiebreaker to North Carolina last year.  UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster doesn't believe the loss last year will provide any extra motivation for the four current Bruins who experienced it.

"These players are used to being in big moments," said Sampras Webster. "They just handle what's in front of them. I don't know what motivates them. We just try to keep it simple, keep improving, focus on getting better every match to get a chance to play for something like this."

UCLA's win in the doubles competition against Northwestern seemed to foreshadow the singles.  The score on all three courts was 3-3 when UCLA found another gear, with Kyle McPhillips and Catherine Harrison defeating Madeline Lipp and Nida Hamilton of Northwestern 6-3 at line 2 and Robin Anderson and Jennifer Brady downing Veronica Corning and Alicia Barnett 6-3 at line 1, while Northwestern's Belinda Niu and Brooke Rischbieth were serving for the match at line 3.

In singles, UCLA took five of the six first sets, and it was Brady who added the second point for the Bruins, beating Barnett 6-3, 6-2 at line 3.  Anderson had her work cut out for her against Corning at line 1, losing four straight games after starting with a 3-0 lead in the first set, but the nation's No. 1 player regained her footing and made it 3-0 with a 7-6(3), 6-4 win.

McPhillips had two match points to end the dual in her court 4 match with Lok Sze Leung. Serving at 6-2, 5-4 40-15, McPhillips missed a backhand wide for 40-30, then tried to serve and volley, only to see Leung's forehand pass whiz by her.  She was broken for 5-5, broke Leung in the next game to serve for the dual again, but this time she didn't even get to match point, leading to a tiebreaker.

Fortunately for UCLA, McPhillips' inability to close was not a turning point, with Kaitlin Ray up 7-6(6), 5-1 over Lipp at line 6. Ray, who had clinched the Bruins quarterfinal win over USC on Saturday, came through again, sending her team back to the finals with a 7-6(6), 6-1 victory.

Unable to compete in the Team Indoor final last year, with illness and injury plaguing her throughout the season, Ray joins Anderson and Van Nguyen as teammates who contributed to UCLA's win over Duke two years ago.

"Duke's certainly had a great tournament and has proven themselves, so we're going to have to get ready to battle against them," said Sampras Webster. "They're very feisty, and very, very good."

The final is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Monday, and will be live streamed via the Virginia website.

For complete results, including results from the consolation matches, see the ITA tournament webpage.
===========================================
Duke University 4, California 2

Feb 09, 2014 at Charlottesville, Va. (Boar's Head Sports Club)
Singles
1. #3 Beatrice Capra (DU) def. #15 Denise Starr (CAL) 6-2, 6-2
2. #26 Anett Schutting (CAL) vs. #45 Ester Goldfeld (DU) 6-3, 3-6, 3-4, unfinished
3. #49 Hanna Mar (DU) def. #95 Lynn Chi (CAL) 6-3, 3-6, 10-4
4. #16 Zsofi Susanyi (CAL) def. Alyssa Smith (DU) 6-2, 7-5
5. Klara Fabikova (CAL) def. Rachel Kahan (DU) 4-6, 6-3, 10-3
6. Marianne Jodoin (DU) def. #31 Maegen Manasse (CAL) 1-6, 6-3, 11-9

Doubles
1. Beatrice Capra/Hanna Mar (DU) def. Maegen Manasse/Anett Schutting (CAL) 7-6 (7-4)
2. Ester Goldfeld/Alyssa Smith (DU) def. Denise Starr/Kelly Chui (CAL) 6-3
3. Lynn Chi/Alice Duranteau (CAL) def. Annie Mulholland/Marianne Jodoin (DU) 7-5

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (1,5,4,3,6)

===========================================
UCLA 4, Northwestern 0

Feb 09, 2014 at Charlottesville, Va. (Boar's Head Sports Club)
Singles
1. #1 Robin Anderson (UCLA) def. Veronica Corning (NW) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
2. #9 Chanelle Van Nguyen (UCLA) vs. #105 Belinda Niu (NW) 6-3, 3-6, 4-8, unfinished
3. #24 Jennifer Brady (UCLA) def. Alicia Barnett (NW) 6-3, 6-2
4. #36 Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) vs. Lok Sze Leung (NW) 6-2, 6-6, unfinished
5. Catherine Harrison (UCLA) vs. Nida Hamilton (NW) 2-6, 4-5, unfinished
6. Kaitlin Ray (UCLA) def. Maddie Lipp (NW) 7-6 (8-6), 6-1

Doubles
1. #1 Robin Anderson/Jennifer Brady (UCLA) def. #35 Veronica Corning/Alicia Barnett (NW) 6-3
2. Kyle McPhillips/Catherine Harrison (UCLA) def. Maddie Lipp/Nida Hamilton (NW) 6-3
3. Courtney Dolehide/Chanelle Van Nguyen (UCLA) vs. Belinda Niu/Brooke Rischbieth (NW) 4-5, unfinished

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,1,6)

Top Seed Florida, Defending Champion North Carolina Knocked Out in Quarterfinals of ITA Women's Team Indoor Championships

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Charlottesville, VA--

Saturday was the day of the underdog at the ITA Women's Team Indoor Championships hosted by the University of Virginia at the Boar's Head Sports Club.  Defending champion and No. 2 seed North Carolina was the first favorite to fall, with No. 7 Duke claiming a 4-2 decision. No. 3 seed Georgia was then ousted by No. 6 Cal 4-3, but the biggest upset was reserved for the late afternoon, when unseeded Northwestern took out top seed Florida 4-2.  No. 4 seed UCLA restored some semblance of order in the final main draw match of the day, taking out crosstown rival and No. 5 seed USC 4-0, to reach the semifinals for the third consecutive year.

For all of the talk of the format experimentation providing more opportunities for the underdog, Northwestern's win over Florida did not include a single third-set match tiebreaker.  The Wildcats took the doubles point with wins at 2 and 3, after Florida had looked exceptionally sharp in doubles in their Friday night match against Virginia.

Florida won first sets at lines 1, 6 and 3, while Northwestern had taken the first set at 2, 4, and 5.  Northwestern got its second point when Jillian Rooney closed out Sofie Oyen 6-2, 6-1, but Olivia Janowicz put Florida on the board shortly afterward with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Veronica Corning at line 1.  Florida was going to need a match tiebreaker win to advance, and it looked as if they would get there when Kourtney Keegan took a 5-3 second set lead over Madeline Lipp at line 5, after dropping the first set in a tiebreaker.  Belinda Woolcock defeated Manon Peri of Northwestern 7-6(3), 6-1 to make it 2-2, and Brianna Morgan had taken the first set from Northwestern's Alicia Barnett at line 3, but Alex Cercone could not rattle Belinda Niu at No. 2.  Up a set and a break, Niu kept blasting the ball and moving forward, and when Lipp won the last four games from Keegan to record a 7-6(4), 7-5 victory and point No. 3 for the Wildcats, Niu was up 5-2 in the second set, with Cercone serving. A double fault at deuce gave Niu a match point, and she converted immediately when Cercone's forehand found the net, clinching her second straight match after taking the fourth point in Northwestern's 4-3 victory over Texas A&M Friday night.

Asked if she was surprised by her team's win over Florida, Northwestern head coach Claire Pollard said, "Truthfully, probably yes," said Pollard, who won back-to-back Team Indoor titles in 2009 and 2010. "I was really pleased with our doubles. I didn't think we were really organized in our doubles, so we spent a lot of time Thursday organizing plays and running things. I think Florida's got a good doubles point, so that really helped to get the day off to a good start."

Pollard played three freshmen--Rooney, Lipp and Peri--and sophomore Barnett, so she understands this tournament is trial-by-fire for them.

"After we won the doubles, I sort of got after them like I did yesterday," Pollard said. "It's one point, and we not here to just get one point. We're trying to teach this young team not to be satisfied too early. We're going to enjoy this tonight and then try to do another one tomorrow."

Northwestern will play UCLA, who won the doubles point from Southern Cal by the slimmest of margins, then went on to dominate in three singles matches to post a 4-0 victory.

The doubles point came down to line 2, with UCLA's Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips facing three match points in the tiebreaker that decided it, after UCLA had won at line 1 and USC at line 3.  With USC's Giuliana Olmos and Zoe Scandalis leading 6-4 in the tiebreaker, McPhillips saved the first match point with a quick poach, and Scandalis's defensive lob went long on the next one. The third match point was a return long on a McPhillips serve at 7-6, and the next two points went to UCLA with Olmos missing a volley and then a backhand, to send UCLA into the 10-minute break with a 1-0 lead.

"I think that doubles point really helped us," said UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster. "Just going into the singles playing a little more relaxed. USC's tough; we know each other so well, but we executed well and competed really well."

UCLA's second point was posted quickly, with McPhillips, who suffered from shin splints this fall, taking down Olmos at line 4 by a 6-2, 6-0 score.  Robin Anderson had no trouble with Sabrina Santamaria at No. 1, closing out a 6-1, 6-2 victory for a 3-0 UCLA lead, and seconds later, on the bank of three courts down the hallway, Kaitlin Ray defeated Ellie Yates 6-1, 6-2 to clinch the Bruins' win.

"Kaitlin played really well, and I'm really happy for her," Sampras said of the oft-injured junior. "We just want to get better every match, and keep improving."

Another conference and in-state rivalry earlier in the day saw Duke upend North Carolina 4-2, with the doubles point again setting the tone.

Duke won at line 1, with Trice Capra and Hanna Mar beating Whitney Kay and Caroline Price 6-3, and at line 3, with Annie Mulholland and Marianne Jodoin beating Ashley Dai and Laura Slater 6-3.  But it was his No. 2 team that most impressed Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth.

"It started with our doubles," Ashworth said. "Our 2 doubles team hadn't played together ever before yesterday and kept (Jamie) Loeb and (Hayley) Carter out there, not letting UNC get a quick match. Our 1 and 3 (teams) played well. We tried not to think about that momentum, and we told them you've got to play like you're down."

North Carolina tied the score when Carter beat Chalena Scholl 6-2, 6-2 at line 2, but Duke regained the lead with Rachel Kahan's 6-4, 6-2 win over Dai at line 5. Capra dealt a blow to North Carolina's comeback chances when she beat Loeb 6-4, 6-4, only Loeb's second loss of the 2013-14 season.

"I don't think they'd ever played each other, and they didn't get a chance to play in the fall," Ashworth said. "Obviously, Jamie's a great player. Trice wasn't really disappointed after her loss yesterday(to Michigan's Emina Bektas), which probably helped her today. She came out today, I think wanting to prove something, not playing Jamie in the fall, and she stayed focused the entire match, really never let up."

That was it for the straight set matches, and the remaining three matches, all of which North Carolina had to win, were entering match tiebreakers.

Caroline Price finished hers, defeating Duke's Ester Goldfeld 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 at line 4 to make it 3-2 Duke, but by that time Duke's Mar had taken a 9-5 lead against Whitney Kay at line 3, and she closed out Duke's win on a backhand down the line pass for a 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 victory.

Duke will play Cal in the semifinals, after the Bears again overcame the loss of the doubles point, this time against Georgia, taking the final point with freshman Maegan Manasse's victory at line 6.

Georgia took the doubles point with wins at No. 3 and No. 1, where Lauren Herring and Maho Kowase got a late break and hold over Anett Schutting and Manasse to win it 7-5.

Kowase made it 2-0 Georgia with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Lynn Chi at No. 3, but Cal got on the board with Zsofi Susanyi's 6-0, 6-4 victory over Lilly Kimbell at line 4. Denise Starr brought Cal even with a 6-3, 4-6, 10-7 win over Silvia Garcia at line 2, and Klara Fabikova put the Bears in front with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Kate Fuller at line 5.  Herring closed out Schutting at line 1 7-6, 6-1 in an exceptionally well-played match, making it 3-3 and turning all the attention to court 6, where Manasse and Mia King were at 3-3 in the second set, after Manasse took the first in a tiebreaker.  Manasse held for 4-3, then broke King at love to take a 5-3 lead.  The freshman from Southern California started shakily, going to 0-30, but she recovered to win the next three points. Manasse hit a backhand long on her first match point, but she converted the second, which didn't surprise her coach, Amanda Augustus.

"I couldn't ask for anything more," said Augustus. "She was calm, and she loves to play for the team, so that's why we really wanted to have her on our team.  Denise too," Augustus said of her other freshman, "she knew she had to win that match after she saw her teammate Lynn not win hers. You come with freshmen and you don't know how they're going to respond to something like this. I don't think we've had a 3-all for a while, so it's really, really great. I'm just super, super proud of them."

For complete results of the four consolation matches played Saturday, see the ITA tournament central page.

===========================================
Northwestern 4, Florida 2
Feb 08, 2014 at Charlottesville, Va. (Boar's Head Sports Club)

Singles
1. #17 Olivia Janowicz (FLA) def. Veronica Corning (NW) 6-4, 6-3
2. #105 Belinda Niu (NW) def. #23 Alexandra Cercone (FLA) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
3. #18 Brianna Morgan (FLA) vs. Alicia Barnett (NW) 7-5, 2-5, unfinished
4. Jillian Rooney (NW) def. #27 Sofie Oyen (FLA) 6-2, 6-1
5. Maddie Lipp (NW) def. #39 Kourtney Keegan (FLA) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5
6. #36 Belinda Woolcock (FLA) def. Manon Peri (NW) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1

Doubles
1. #32 Sofie Oyen/Belinda Woolcock (FLA) vs. #35 Alicia Barnett/Veronica Corning (NW) 5-6, unfinished
2. Maddie Lipp/Nida Hamilton (NW) def. Olivia Janowicz/Kourtney Keegan (FLA) 6-4
3. Belinda Niu/Manon Peri (NW) def. Alexandra Cercone/Stefani Stojic (FLA) 6-3

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,1,6,5,2)
===========================================
UCLA 4, USC 0
Feb 08, 2014 at Charlottesville, Va. (Boar's Head Sports Club)

Singles
1. #1 Robin Anderson (UCLA) def. #13 Sabrina Santamaria (USC) 6-1, 6-2
2. #9 Chanelle Van Nguyen (UCLA) vs. #96 Brynn Boren (USC) 4-6, 4-3, unfinished
3. #24 Jennifer Brady (UCLA) vs. Zoe Scandalis (USC) 4-6, 6-0, unfinished
4. #36 Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) def. #60 Giuliana Olmos (USC) 6-2, 6-0
5. Catherine Harrison (UCLA) vs. #80 Gabriella DeSimone (USC) 7-5, 4-2, unfinished
6. Kaitlin Ray (UCLA) def. Ellie Yates (USC) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles
1. #1 Robin Anderson/Jennifer Brady (UCLA) def. #33 Kaitlyn Christian/Sabrina Santamaria (USC) 6-2
2. Catherine Harrison/Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) def. #7 Giuliana Olmos/Zoe Scandalis (USC) 7-6 (9-7)
3. #3 Brynn Boren/Zoe Katz (USC) def. Chanelle Van Nguyen/Courtney Dolehide (UCLA) 6-4

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,1,6)
===========================================
Duke University 4, North Carolina 2
Feb 08, 2014 at Charlottesville, Va. (Boar's Head Sports Club)

Singles
1. #3 Beatrice Capra (DU) def. #2 Jamie Loeb (NC) 6-4, 6-4
2. #5 Hayley Carter (NC) def. Chalena Scholl (DU) 6-2, 6-2
3. #49 Hanna Mar (DU) def. #88 Whitney Kay (NC) 2-6, 6-4, 10-5
4. Caroline Price (NC) def. #45 Ester Goldfeld (DU) 4-6, 6-3, 10-6
5. Rachel Kahan (DU) def. #125 Ashley Dai (NC) 6-4, 6-2
6. Kate Vialle (NC) vs. Alyssa Smith (DU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-7, unfinished

Doubles
1. Beatrice Capra/Hanna Mar (DU) def. #10 Whitney Kay/Caroline Price (NC) 6-3
2. Jamie Loeb/Hayley Carter (NC) vs. Ester Goldfeld/Alyssa Smith (DU) 3-5, unfinished
3. Annie Mulholland/Marianne Jodoin (DU) def. #42 Ashley Dai/Laura Slater (NC) 6-3

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (2,5,1,4,3)

===========================================

California 4, Georgia 3

Feb 08, 2014 at Charlottesville, VA (Boar's Head Sports Club)

 

Singles

1. #4 Lauren Herring (UGA) def. #26 Annett Schutting (CAL) 7-6, 6-1

2. #15 Denise Starr (CAL) def. #10 Silvia Garcia (UGA) 6-3, 4-6, 10-7

3. #25 Maho Kowase (UGA) def. #95 Lynn Chi (CAL) 6-3, 6-2

4. #16 Zsofi Susanyi (CAL) def. #33 Lilly Kimbell (UGA) 6-0, 6-4

5. Klara Fabikova (CAL) def. Kate Fuller (UGA) 7-5, 7-5

6. #31 Maegan Manasse (CAL) def. Mia King (UGA) 7-6, 6-3

Doubles

1. #5 Lauren Herring/Maho Kowase (UGA) def. Annett Schutting/Maegan Manasse (CAL) 7-5

2. Silvia Garcia/Kate Fuller (UGA) vs. #48 Denise Starr/Zsofi Susanyi (CAL) 5-4, unfinished

3. Lilly Kimbell/Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. Lynn Chi/Klara Fabikova (CAL) 6-2

Match Notes

Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (3,4,2,5,1,6)

Top Seed Florida Gets Past Host Virginia; Northwestern Reaches Quarterfinals of Women's Team Indoor with Win Over No. 8 Seed Texas A&M

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Charlottesville, VA--

The theme of the day was close matches, and the refrain continued into the two evening matches, with top seed Florida taking a 4-2 decision from Virginia and Northwestern getting a 4-3 win over No. 8 seed Texas A&M.

No. 3 seed Georgia was the only team that didn't surrender a point in the eight matches played Friday at the Boar's Head Sports Club, with No. 2 seed North Carolina taken to the limit by Vanderbilt in a morning contest.  The top-seeded Gators, playing in the Team Indoor for the first time since 2011, also found themselves in a battle with host Virginia, despite the early cushion of the doubles point.

Virginia won the first doubles match at line 3, but Florida took lines 1 and 2 for the early lead.  It didn't last long, with Virginia's Julia Elbaba absolutely steamrolling Olivia Janowicz 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1 to pull even.  That was the only quick match of the evening, with all of the other opening sets, three of which went to Florida, closely contested.  Florida got its second point when Alex Cercone came back to defeat former teammate Danielle Collins, who transferred from Florida to Virginia after last season, 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 at line 2. Virginia countered with Maci Epstein's point at No. 5, earned with a 6-4, 6-4 decision over Kourtney Keegan.  Florida's Brianna Morgan was up a set and a break over Rachel Pierson at line 3 and Sofie Oyen was serving for the match at line 4 against Virginia's Stephanie Nauta, but Oyen was broken to make it 5-5.  Morgan held on to make it 3-2 Florida, beating Pierson 7-5, 6-4, but Nauta was finding new life against Oyen, so attention went to line 6, where Florida's Belinda Woolcock was leading Marie Faure 7-6(6), 5-2.  Although both freshmen were playing their first high pressure match, Woolcock came through, converting her first match point when Faure missed a backhand volley at the net.

While Florida was subduing Virginia, Northwestern was attempting complete its win over No. 8 seed Texas A&M, leading 3-1.

Having won the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and No. 2, Northwestern took a 2-0 lead when Nida Hamilton beat Rutuja Bhosale 7-5, 6-1 at line No. 6.  Texas A&M got on the board with Stefanie Hristov's 6-3, 6-2 win over Jillian Rooney at line 5, but Northwestern got its third point when Veronica Corning beat Christina Stancu 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 at No. 1.  Anna Mamalat kept Texas A&M's hopes alive with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Alicia Barnett at No. 3, but Northwestern's Belinda Niu had built a 7-5, 5-1 lead over Saska Gavrilovska at No. 2, while the Wildcats' Lok Sze Leung had an opportunity to clinch at No. 4 against Ines Deheza in a match tiebreaker. Lueng was unable to convert the match point she had at 9-8, and Deheza won the final three points for a 6-2, 3-6, 11-9 win, making the score 3-3 and sending the crowd down the hall to see if Niu could clinch. The senior closed the door, completing her 7-5, 6-2 victory, and Northwestern, the 2009 and 2010 Team Indoor champions, advanced to the quarterfinals to play Florida.

The quarterfinals are scheduled for noon and 3:30 on Saturday, with consolation matches taking place in the 9 a.m. and 6: 30 p.m. time slots.

===========================================
Florida 4, Virginia 2

Feb 07, 2014 at Charlottesville, VA (Boar's Head Sports Club)

Singles
1. #11 Julia Elbaba (VA) def. #17 Olivia Janowicz (FLA) 6-0, 6-2
2. #23 Alexandra Cercone (FLA) def. #28 Danielle Collins (VA) 3-6, 6-3, 10-6
3. #18 Brianna Morgan (FLA) def. #43 Rachel Pierson (VA) 7-5, 6-4
4. #85 Stephanie Nauta (VA) vs. #27 Sofie Oyen (FLA) 6-7 (6-8), 6-6, unfinished
5. Maci Epstein (VA) def. #39 Kourtney Keegan (FLA) 6-4, 6-4
6. #36 Belinda Woolcock (FLA) def. Marie Faure (VA) 7-6 (8-6), 6-2

Doubles
1. #32 Sofie Oyen/Belinda Woolcock (FLA) def. #8 Rachel Pierson/Julia Elbaba (VA) 6-4
2. Olivia Janowicz/Kourtney Keegan (FLA) def. Li Xi/Danielle Collins (VA) 6-3
3. Maci Epstein/Stephanie Nauta (VA) def. Alexandra Cercone/Stefani Stojic (FLA) 6-3

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,2,5,3,6)
===========================================
Northwestern 4, Texas A&M 3

Feb 07, 2014 at Charlottesville, VA (Boar's Head Sports Club)

Singles 
1. Veronica Corning (NW) def. #14 Cristina Stancu (TAMU) 4-6, 6-3, 10-7
2. #105 Belinda Niu (NW) def. Saska Gavrilovska (TAMU) 7-5, 6-2
3. Anna Mamalat (TAMU) def. Alicia Barnett (NW) 6-3, 7-6
4. Ines Deheza (TAMU) def. Lok Sze Leung (NW) 6-2, 3-6, 11-9
5. Stefania Hristov (TAMU) def. Jillian Rooney (NW) 6-3, 6-2
6. Nida Hamilton (NW) def. Rutuja Bhosale (TAMU) 7-5, 6-1

 Doubles
 1. #35 Veronica Corning/Alicia Barnett (NW) def. #22 Cristina Stancu/Stefania Hristov (TAMU) 6-3
2. #45 Maddie Lipp/Nida Hamilton (NW) def. #51 Rutuja Bhosale/Ines Deheza (TAMU) 7-5
3. Saska Gavrilovska/Anna Mamalat (TAMU) vs. Belinda Niu/Manon Peri (NW) 4-5, unfinished

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (6,5,1,3,4,2)

USC, UCLA Win Close Openers to Advance to Quarterfinal Meeting at ITA Women's Team Indoor Championships

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Charlottesville, VA--

One of Saturday's quarterfinals will feature ACC rivals North Carolina and Duke, another will find the Pac-12's UCLA and Southern California renew their rivalry after the Bruins and Women of Troy came through with close victories Friday afternoon.

UCLA, the No. 4 seed and 2012 champion, defeated Texas 4-2, while No. 5 seed USC recovered from a horrible start to survive Alabama 4-3.

UCLA appeared to be cruising, taking the doubles point with wins at 1 and 2, with 3 going unfinished.  Robin Anderson made short work of Breaunna Addison, giving UCLA a 2-0 lead with her 6-3, 6-1 victory, and the Bruins had won first sets on courts 2, 3, 5 and 6 as well.  It turned out that their third point was a long time coming however, as it was the only UCLA player who didn't win her first set, Kyle McPhillips at line 4, who gave the Bruins their third point, beating Neda Koprcina 2-6, 6-3, 10-5. Both Lina Padegimaite at line 6 and Liz Begley at line 3 fought their way into the match tiebreakers for Texas, with Padegmaite putting the Longhorns on the board with a 2-6, 6-3, 10-6 decision over Kaitlyn Ray and Begley making it 3-2 with a 4-6, 6-2, 10-7 win over Jennifer Brady. 

While Begley was out-steadying an error-prone Brady on court 5,  UCLA's Catherine Harrison was trying to clinch the match serving to Pippa Horn at 5-3 in the second set.  With two match points at 40-15, Harrison moved forward on each of them, attempting putaway volleys, but both went long.  Three more match points came and went, one on a double fault, but Harrison also saved two break points, both with winners--one an overhead and another a perfectly executed drop shot that Horn could not get before it bounced twice.  Harrison blasted a backhand winner to get match point No. 6, and she finally converted, with Horn's backhand going wide and long. 

Southern California has the reigning NCAA doubles champions, Sabrina Santamaria and Kaitlyn Christian, and two other doubles teams ranked in the Top 10, but Alabama had no trouble taking the first point, with Erin Routliffe and Maya Jansen defeating Christian and Santamaria 6-3, after Emily Zabor and Luicelena Perez had cruised past Brynn Boren and Zoe Katz 6-2.

"We clearly were terrible in doubles," said USC head coach Richard Gallien, "and got off to an awful start in singles. Give them credit for that, and give us credit for not getting excited and panicking, for hanging in there."

Alabama won four first sets, leaving USC with a long uphill climb, but Brynn Boren provided a boost when she got USC on the board with a tough 1-6, 6-2, 10-8 win over Danielle Spielmann at line 2.  Emily Zabor made it 2-1 Alabama with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Gabriella DeSimone at line 5, and Mary Anne Daines made it 3-1 Alabama with a 6-4, 4-6, 10-5 decision over Santamaria at line 1.  At No. 3, Zoe Scandalis closed the gap for USC with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Maya Jansen, and then Guiliana Olmos won the second set to force a match tiebreaker with Erin Routliffe at No. 4.  Routliffe was just a few points from delivering the Alabama victory leading 8-7 in the tiebreaker, but Olmos took advantage of an untimely double fault, winning the last three points in a 6-7(6), 6-3, 10-8 victory.

That meant the match would decided at No. 6, with Ellie Yates leading Natalia Maynetto 6-3, 5-3.  Maynetto saved one match point serving at 3-5, forcing Maynetto to serve it out.  Neither player was interested in first strike tennis, with many of their rallies lasting at least 30 strokes, with the majority of them high looping moon balls.  Maynetto missed late in the rallies in the last game, giving Yates a 40-15 lead.  The first match point, which was 48 strokes, ended with Yates missing, but the second, a mere 26 strokes, went in her favor, when Maynetto approached the net to finish and missed the volley.

"No one missed," said Gallien. "One of them was going to get panicky and do something out of character. Fortunately for Ellie, she outlasted her, did a great job. That was Ellie's first big moment."

Yates was a called on to play for USC, when Christian, who was No. 6 in the submitted lineup, was pulled prior to the match.

"It was a tough one," Gallien said of the decision to move Yates into the No. 6 spot. "Kaitlyn, bless her heart, hasn't been playing so great. Ellie hasn't been given a big moment and we thought, she's been doing great, we'll just give her a chance."
==========================================
UCLA 4, Texas 2
Feb 07, 2014 at Charlottesville, VA (Boar's Head Sports Club)

Singles
1. #1 Robin Anderson (UCLA) def. #22 Breaunna Addison (TEX) 6-3, 6-1
2. #9 Chanelle Van Nguyen (UCLA) vs. #77 Ratnika Batra (TEX) 7-5, 4-3, unfinished
3. Elizabeth Begley (TEX) def. #24 Jennifer Brady (UCLA) 4-6, 6-2, 10-7
4. #36 Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) def. Neda Koprcina (TEX) 2-6, 6-3, 10-5
5. Catherine Harrison (UCLA) def. Pippa Horn (TEX) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
6. Lina Padegimaite (TEX) def. Kaitlin Ray (UCLA) 2-6, 6-3, 10-6

Doubles
1. #1 Robin Anderson/Jennifer Brady (UCLA) def. #21 Pippa Horn/Breaunna Addison (TEX) 6-4
2. #13 Catherine Harrison/Kyle McPhillips (UCLA) def. Neda Koprcina/Elizabeth Begley (TEX) 6-3
3. Chanelle Van Nguyen/Courtney Dolehide (UCLA) vs. Ratnika Batra/Lina Padegimaite (TEX) 5-5, unfinished

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,4,6,3,5)

======================================
USC 4, Alabama 3
Feb 07, 2014 at Charlottesville, VA (Boar's Head Sports Club)

Singles
1. Mary Anne Daines (UA) def. Sabrina Santamaria (USC) 6-4, 4-6, 10-5
2. #96 Brynn Boren (USC) def. Danielle Spielmann (UA) 1-6, 6-2, 10-8
3. Zoe Scandalis (USC) def. Maya Jansen (UA) 6-4, 6-3
4. #60 Giuliana Olmos (USC) def. #68 Erin Routliffe (UA) 6-7 (8-6), 6-3, 10-8
5. #69 Emily Zabor (UA) def. #80 Gabriella DeSimone (USC) 6-2, 6-1
6. Ellie Yates (USC) def. Natalia Maynetto (UA) 6-3, 6-4

Doubles
1. Erin Routliffe/Maya Jansen (UA) def. #33 Kaitlyn Christian/Sabrina Santamaria (USC) 6-3
2. #7 Giuliana Olmos/Zoe Scandalis (USC) vs. Mary Anne Daines/Danielle Spielmann (UA) 5-6, unfinished
3. Emily Zabor/Luicelena Perez (UA) def. #3 Brynn Boren/Zoe Katz (USC) 6-2

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (2,5,1,3,4,6)

Third Seed Georgia Blanks Miami, Faces No. 6 Cal in Saturday's Quarterfinals

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Charlottesville, VA--

Third seed Georgia posted the day's only shutout in the bottom half of the draw, cruising to a 4-0 win over Miami, ranked No. 9 in the nation.

Passed over for a seed, when No. 10 Duke was elevated into the top eight, Miami may have come into the tournament with a grievance, but that motivation wasn't enough to overcome an in-form Georgia. The Bulldogs had swept Clemson 7-0 last week, and that confidence showed against Miami.

Georgia won the doubles point, getting wins at No. 2 and No. 3, with No. 1 doubles going unfinished.  In the singles, Maho Kowase picked up Georgia's second point with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Lina Lileikite at line 3, and Lauren Herring soon followed Kowase off the court, using her variety effectively against Stephanie Wagner in a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Up 3-0, Georgia looked to be in good shape with the first sets in three of the other four singles matches.  Miami's best chance for a point was on court 4, where Clementine Riobueno had taken the first set from Lilly Kimbell, but Kimbell took the second set and entered the match tiebreaker with an opportunity to clinch.  Riobueno had a substantial lead in the tiebreaker, but she couldn't close it out, and in the meantime, Mia King had taken a 5-0 lead in the second set of her match with Melissa Bolivar at line 6.  King missed one match point opportunity with a botched overhead, but she converted with a swinging volley winner on her next chance, winning the match 6-4, 6-0 and putting Georgia in the quarterfinals.

Georgia's opponent, No. 6 seed Cal, had a tougher route to the quarterfinals. The Bears lost the doubles point when Clemson's Tristan Dewar and Romy Koelzer won a tiebreaker over Denise Starr and Kelly Chui at 2 after Cal won at line 1 and Clemson at 3.

But Cal came out strong in singles, winning five first sets, and Clemson wasn't able to mount a comeback.  Cal tied it with Klara Fabikova's 6-2, 6-2 win over Tristen Dewar at 5, took the lead with Lynn Chi's 6-4, 6-2 victory over Koelzer at 3, and added to it with Maegan Manasse's 6-2, 6-1 win over Jessy Rompies at 6.  Anett Schutting had fought back to force a match tiebreaker at No. 1 against Clemson's Yana Koroleva, but Koroleva held on for a 6-2, 6-7(2), 10-7 win, with the match concluding just as Cal's Zsofi Susanyi completed her 6-2, 6-4 win over Ani Miao to clinch the match for Cal.

Saturday's quarterfinal is a rematch of last year's, which Georgia won 4-1.
===========================================
Georgia 4, Miami 0
Feb 07, 2014 at Charlottesville, VA (Boar's Head Sports Club)

Singles
1. #4 Lauren Herring (UGA) def. #32 Stephanie Wagner (UM) 6-2, 6-2
2. #10 Silvia Garcia (UGA) vs. #64 Kelsey Laurente (UM) 7-6 (7-5), 4-4, unfinished
3. #25 Maho Kowase (UGA) def. Lina Lileikite (UM) 6-2, 6-3
4. #33 Lilly Kimbell (UGA) vs. Clementina Riobueno (UM) 2-6, 6-2, 7-9, unfinished
5. Kate Fuller (UGA) vs. Monique Albuquerque (UM) 6-2, 5-6, unfinished
6. Mia King (UGA) def. Melissa Bolivar (UM) 6-4, 6-0

Doubles
1. #5 Lauren Herring/Maho Kowase (UGA) vs. #29 Monique Albuquerque/Clementina Riobueno (UM) 6-5, unfinished
2. Kate Fuller/Silvia Garcia (UGA) def. Melissa Bolivar/Kelsey Laurente (UM) 6-4
3. Lilly Kimbell/Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. Lina Lileikite/Stephanie Wagner (UM) 6-4

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (3,1,6)

===========================================
Feb 07, 2014 at Charlottesville, VA (Boar's Head Sports Club)
California 4, Clemson 2

Singles
1. #74 Yana Koroleva (CU) def. #26 Anett Schutting (CAL) 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 10-7
2. #44 Beatrice Gumulya (CU) vs. #15 Denise Starr (CAL) 2-6, 6-6, unfinished
3. #95 Lynn Chi (CAL) def. Romy Koelzer (CU) 6-4, 6-2
4. #16 Zsofi Susanyi (CAL) def. Ani Miao (CU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Karla Fabrikova (CAL) def. #103 Tristen Dewar (CU) 6-2, 6-2
6. #31 Maegen Manasse (CAL) def. Jessy Rompies (CU) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles
1. Maegen Manasse/Anett Schutting (CAL) def. Beatrice Gumulya/Yana Koroleva (CU) 7-6
2. Tristen Dewar/Romy Koelzer (CU) def. #48 Denise Starr/Kelly Chui (CAL) 7-6
3. Jessy Rompies/Ani Miao (CU) def. Lynn Chi/Karla Fabrikova (CAL) 6-3

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,3,6,1,4)

Defending Champion and No. 2 seed North Carolina Survives Vanderbilt 4-3 to Set Up Quarterfinal Meeting with No. 7 Duke

©Colette Lewis 2014--
Charlottesville, VA--

Second seed and defending champion North Carolina survived a determined effort from Vanderbilt Friday morning, with freshman Hayley Carter defeating Courtney Colton 7-6(3), 7-6(2) to give the Tar Heels a 4-3 victory.

The doubles point was just as close, with Vanderbilt winning at No. 3 and North Carolina taking the match at No. 2, leaving it to be decided at No. 1, with Whitney Kay and Caroline Price outlasting Ashleigh Antal and Lauren Mira 7-6(5). A questionable overrule in the tiebreaker on a Kay lob that appeared to be long and was called long by Vanderbilt, but overturned on appeal was costly, but a subsequent double fault by Price later could have turned the momentum back to Vanderbilt. It didn't, as UNC regrouped quickly, and Price made a difficult high backhand volley on match point to give North Carolina the win.

With Vanderbilt's Sydney Campbell unable to play due to injury at No. 1 singles, everyone moved up a spot in the order.  Lauren Mira, who played in Campbell's place, had no better luck than the rest of the college tennis this year in attempting to defeat Jamie Loeb, with Loeb getting a quick 6-1, 6-0 win to make it 2-0 North Carolina.  Antal got Vanderbilt on the board with 6-1, 6-4 victory over Tessa Lyons at No. 6 and the Commodores had a lead at No. 5, but all the remaining matches were close.  Caroline Price made it 3-1 North Carolina with a match tiebreaker win over Frances Altick 1-6, 6-2, 10-7, just as Vanderbilt's Georgina Sellyn was earning a split with Whitney Kay at No. 3.  Kay, who is now wearing glasses on the court, had two match points in the match tiebreaker but hit a forehand long at 9-7 and a backhand long at 9-8, and Sellyn took advantage, earning a 4-6, 7-5, 11-9 victory.

In the meantime, Marie Casares had beaten Ashley Dai 6-3, 6-2 at No. 5, leaving the score tied at 3-3, and the match in the hands of Carter and Colton.

Their first set had taken 80 minutes to complete, longer than it had taken Loeb to win her match on the adjacent court, and when Sellyn post her point, Carter trailed 2-0 in the second set. The match's third match tiebreaker loomed, particularly after Carter lost her serve to fall behind 4-3, but she immediately broke Colton, eventually taking a 6-5 lead. With Colton serving to force the second tiebreaker, she had a 40-15 lead, only to see that disappear. Carter had a match point she didn't convert, missing a running backhand, and Colton held to force the tiebreaker.

On the second point, Colton missed a forehand wide, and she trailed the rest of the way, with Carter playing a clean final game, making no unforced errors and using her first serve to set up her points, while Colton was much more prone to the ill-considered shot or unforced error.  One hundred and sixty-one minutes after it began, Carter ended the match, forcing a backhand wide and putting the defending champions into the quarterfinals against No. 7 Duke.

Duke downed Michigan 4-2, with both teams understaffed.  Duke was playing without their No. 2 Chalena Scholl and No. 5 Annie Mulholland, although Mulholland did play doubles and appeared to be a healthy scratch.  Michigan also did not have its No. 2, Ronit Yurovsky, who did play doubles, but is still having shoulder problems and did not take the court for singles.

Duke took a nearly hour-long doubles point, winning at courts 2 and 3, and it was senior Rachel Kahan, out all last year with an injury, who clinched the 4-2 win for the Blue Devils, taking a 6-4, 6-4 decision from Michigan freshman Sara Remynse.  Duke got its second point from Marianne Jodoin at No. 6, with Michigan then getting on the board with Amy Zhu's 7-5, 6-1 victory over Alyssa Smith at No. 4.  Duke made it 3-1 with Ester Goldfeld's 7-6, 6-3 win over Sarah Lee at No. 2. Emina Bektas beat Trice Capra at No. 1 6-2, 7-6 to make it 3-2, but Kahan then closed it out for the Blue Devils.

Box scores for both matches are below.
North Carolina 4, Vanderbilt University 3
Feb 07, 2014 at Charlottesville, VA (Boar's Head Sports Club)

Singles
1. #2 Jamie Loeb (NC) def. #61 Lauren Mira (VU) 6-1, 6-0
2. #5 Hayley Carter (NC) def. Courtney Colton (VU) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2)
3. #48 Georgina Sellyn (VU) def. #88 Whitney Kay (NC) 4-6, 7-5, 11-9
4. Caroline Price (NC) def. Frances Altick (VU) 1-6, 6-2, 10-7
5. Marie Casares (VU) def. #118 Ashley Dai (NC) 6-3, 6-2
6. #102 Ashleigh Antal (VU) def. Tessa Lyons (NC) 6-1, 6-4

Doubles 
1. #10 Whitney Kay/Caroline Price (NC) def. Ashleigh Antal/Lauren Mira (VU) 7-6 (7-5)
2. #12 Hayley Carter/Jamie Loeb (NC) def. Marie Casares/Courtney Colton (VU) 6-4
3. Frances Altick/Georgina Sellyn (VU) def. #42 Laura Slater/Kate Vialle (NC) 6-1

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,6,4,5,3,2)
===========================================

Duke University 4, Michigan 2
Feb 07, 2014 at Charlottesville, VA (Boar's Head Sports Club)

Singles
1. #21 Emina Bektas (MI) def. #3 Beatrice Capra (DU) 6-2, 7-6
2. #45 Ester Goldfeld (DU) def. #100 Sarah Lee (MI) 7-6, 6-3
3. #49 Hanna Mar (DU) vs. Brooke Bolender (MI) 4-6, 6-4, unfinished
4. Amy Zhu (MI) def. Alyssa Smith (DU) 7-5, 6-1
5. Rachel Kahan (DU) def. Sara Remynse (MI) 6-4, 6-4
6. Marianne Jodoin (DU) def. Kristen Dodge (MI) 6-0, 6-3

Doubles 
1. Beatrice Capra/Hanna Mar (DU) vs. #9 Emina Bektas/Brooke Bolender (MI) 6-5, unfinished
2. Ester Goldfeld/Alyssa Smith (DU) def. Sarah Lee/Amy Zhu (MI) 6-2
3. Marianne Jodoin/Annie Mulholland (DU) def. Kristen Dodge/Ronit Yurovsky (MI) 7-6

Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,4,2,1,5)