ST. PETER, Minn. -- Washington and Lee senior Brook Hartzell (San Rafael, Calif./Branson School) and sophomore Melissa Hatley (Columbia, S.C./Heathwood Hall) teamed to claim national runner-up honors by advancing all the way to the championship match of the NCAA Division III women's tennis doubles tournament at Gustavus Adolphus College Wednesday afternoon. Hartzell and Hatley lost the championship contest by a score of 6-2, 6-1, to Meghan Gould and Sheree Schwartz of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.
Hartzell and Hatley advanced to the finals with three consecutive wins in the opening rounds of the tournament. In the first round, the duo defeated Jackie Dutot and Andrea Muellner of Wis.-Eau Claire in three sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. The W&L pair then faced the second-seeded team in the tourney, Jamie Cohen and Allison Paige-Lawrence of Amherst, advancing to the semifinals by a score of 6-4, 6-4. In the semifinal round, Hartzell and Hatley advanced to the championship match with a close three-set win, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, over Amy Tranckino and Lindsay Tadlock of UC-San Diego.
In the other half of the bracket, the No. 1 W&L doubles team of senior Erin Eggers (Louisville, Ky./Collegiate) and freshman Erika Proko (Charlotte, N.C./Providence Day) advanced to the semifinal round before falling to Gould and Schwartz by a score of 6-1, 6-0. In the opening round, Eggers and Proko needed three sets to defeat Blair Rubenstein and Sheda Marshall of Claremont Mudd-Scripps, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. The W&L pair then moved on to the semifinals with a straight-set, 6-3, 6-3 win over Jasmine Bradley and Selma Kikic of Williams College.
Both Washington and Lee doubles teams earned All-America honors for their outstanding play in the tournament.
ST. PETER, Minn. -- Washington and Lee's women's tennis team continued its strong showing in the NCAA Division III tournament by advancing both of its doubles teams to the second round of individual competition.
The No. 1 W&L doubles team of senior Erin Eggers (Louisville, Ky./Collegiate) and freshman Erika Proko (Charlotte, N.C./Providence Day) played the team of Rubenstein/Marshall from Claremont Mudd-Scripps in the first round, winning by a score of 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. The duo will face off against a team from Williams in their second round matchup. Senior Brook Hartzell (San Rafael, Calif./Branson School) and sophomore Melissa Hatley (Columbia, S.C./Heathwood Hall) also defeated their first round opponents, Dutot and Muellner of Wis.-Eau Claire in three sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. The W&L pair will face the No. 2 seeded team in the tourney, Jamie Cohen and Allison Paige-Lawrence of Amherst, in the second round.
In singles, both W&L senior Brook Hartzell (San Rafael, Calif./Branson School) and fellow senior Erin Eggers (Louisville, Ky./Collegiate) defeated their first round opponents before falling in the second round. Hartzell needed three sets to defeat Maria Miller of Luther College, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the first round. She then succumbed to Caryn Cuthbert of Kenyon by a score of 6-3, 6-2. Eggers easily defeated Blair Rubenstein of Claremont Mudd-Scripps (6-1, 6-0) before bowing out to Amy Tranckino of UC-San Diego, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2.
Both doubles teams will take to the courts tomorrow in second round action.
WASHINGTON AND LEE WOMEN'S TENNIS REPORT NCAA DIVISION III THIRD-PLACE MATCH GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE, ST. PETER, MINN. W&L 5, AMHERST 4 SINGLES No. 1 Jamie Cohen (A) d. Brook Hartzell (W&L); 6-0, 6-2 No. 2 Erin Eggers (W&L) d. Steph Fong (A); 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 No. 3 Suzanna Burke (A) d. Erika Proko (W&L); 6-2, 6-2 No. 4 Laura Bruno (W&L) d. Heather Cole (A); 7-5, 6-1 No. 5 Vas Kozoulina (A) d. Brandi Jane Wedgeworth (W&L); 6-3, 6-3 No. 6 Melissa Hatley (W&L) d. Carolyn Pastel (A); 6-0, 6-4 DOUBLES No. 1 Eggers/Proko (W&L) d. Cohen/Allison Paige-Lawrenceæ (A); 8-1 No. 2 Burke/Cole (A) d.æHartzell/Hatley (W&L); 8-3 No. 3 Bruno/Sallie Gray Strang (W&L) d.æKozoulina/Pastel (A); 8-2 OVERALL RECORD: W&L (20-4) AMHERST (11-4)
NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS Gustavus Adolphus College - St. Peter, Minn. NCAA SEMIFINALS WASHINGTON AND LEE WOMEN'S TENNIS REPORT NCAA DIVISION III SEMIFINALS GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE, ST. PETER, MINN. TRINITY (TX) 6, W&L 3 SINGLES No. 1 Lizzie Yasser (T) d. Brook Hartzell (W&L); 6-3, 6-1 No. 2 Lindsay Smith (T) d. Erin Eggers (W&L); 6-3, 6-2 No. 3 Erika Proko (W&L) d. Lindsay Baldwin (T); 6-0, 6-4 No. 4 Laura Cummings (T) d. Nicole Harbauer (KC); 6-3, 6-2 No. 5 Brandi Jane Wedgeworth (W&L) d. Amanda Brown (T); 6-2, 5-3 def. No. 6 Melissa Hatley (W&L) d. Abbie Ulrich (T); 7-5, 5-1 def. DOUBLES No. 1 Brown/Yasser (T) d. Eggers/Proko (W&L); 8-3 No. 2 Cummings/Ulrich (T) d. Hartzell/Hatley (W&L); 8-3 No. 3 Baldwin/Smith (T) d. Bruno/Sallie Gray Strang (W&L); 8-5 OVERALL RECORD: W&L (19-4) NOTES: The Generals will play Amherst on Sunday in the third-place team match. Amherst fell in the other semifinal to UC-San Diego by a 5-4 count.
NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS Gustavus Adolphus College - St. Peter, Minn. NCAA QUARTERFINALS SINGLES: 1. Caryn Cuthbert (KC) d. Brook Hartzell (W&L); 7-5, 6-2 2. Brooke Roeper (KC) d. Erin Eggers (W&L); 6-1, 6-1 3. Erika Proko (W&L) d. Nicole Harbauer (KC); 6-2, 6-4 4. Ellen Sherman (KC) d. Laura Bruno (W&L); 7-6 (7), 6-4 5. Brandi Jane Wedgeworth (W&L) d. Lisa Beauchamp (KC); 7-5, 6-4 6. Melissa Hatley (W&L) d. Katy Tucker (KC); 6-1, 6-3 DOUBLES: 1. Eggers/Proko (W&L) d. Cuthbert/Tucker (KC); 8-6 2. Hartzell/Hatley (W&L) d. Sherman/Harbauer (KC); 8-4 3. Bruno/Sallie Gray Strang (W&L) d. Beauchamp/Roeper (KC); 8-3 RECORDS: W&L (19-3) Kenyon (20-5) NOTES: The Generals will play the winner of Trinity (Texas)-Williams on Saturday at 1:30 pm in the semifinals. Amherst will meet UC-San Diego in the other semifinal match. Amherst advanced over Emory (7-2) and UC-San Diego defeated host Gustavus Adolphus (6-3).
NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL WOMEN'S TENNIS REPORT Washington and Lee University - Lexington, Va. NCAA SECOND ROUND W&L 9, RHODES 0 SINGLES No. 1 Brook Hartzell (W&L) d. Jamie Graham (RC); 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 No. 2 Erin Eggers (W&L) d. Kasey Sweeney (RC); 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 No. 3 Erika Proko (W&L) d. Kathryn Baker (RC); 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 No. 4 Laura Bruno (W&L) d. Erin Corbett (RC); 6-0, 6-2 No. 5 Brandi Jane Wedgeworth (W&L) d. Ashley Haskin (RC); 6-0, 6-1 No. 6 Melissa Hatley (W&L) d. Amy Dundas (RC); 6-0, 6-2 DOUBLES No. 1 Eggers/Proko (W&L) d. Baker/Graham (RC); 8-2 No. 2 Hartzell/Hatley (W&L) d. Marilyn Cathcart/Sweeney (RC); 8-4 No. 3 Bruno/Sallie Gray Strang (W&L) d. Corbett/Dundas (RC); 8-3 RECORDS Washington and Lee (18-3) Rhodes (12-6) Washington and Lee advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals at Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minnesota) on Friday, May 19. This is the fifth consecutive appearance for the Generals in the national quarterfinals.
NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL WOMEN'S TENNIS REPORT Washington and Lee University - Lexington, Va. RHODES 7, MEREDITH 2 SINGLES No. 1 Jamie Graham (RC) d. Ashley Dempsey (MC); 6-3, 6-1 No. 2 Kasey Sweeney (RC) d. Jessica Lewis (MC); 6-1, 6-2 No. 3 Kathryn Baker (RC) d. Collins Dineen (MC); 6-0, 6-0 No. 4 Erin Corbett (RC) d. Taryn Slozak (MC); 6-4, 6-2 No. 5 Ashley Haskin (RC) d. Kristen Monaco (MC); 6-2, 6-1 No. 6 Allison Howell (MC) d. Amy Dundas (RC); 6-4, 6-2 DOUBLES No. 1 Baker/Graham (RC) d. Dineen/Lewis (MC); 8-2 No. 2 Marilyn Cathcart/Sweeney (RC) d. Dempsey/Howell (MC); 8-6 No. 3 Monaco/Angela Odom (MC) d. Corbett/Dundas (RC); 9-8 (8-6) RECORDS Rhodes (12-5) Meredith (16-7) Rhodes advances to play Washington and Lee on Sunday, May 14, at 1:00 pm.