Playoff run ends with loss to top-ranked Pomona-Pitzer

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Chapman University women's tennis team could not overcome losing two of the three doubles matches to No. 7-ranked Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and lost 5-1 in the West Region championship match in Claremont on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Sagehens advance to the NCAA national championships in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

In a battle of No. 1 vs. 2 in the West Region, top-ranked Pomona-Pitzer gained a pivotal 2-1 advantage after the opening doubles matches. The Sagehens won the first and second-seeded doubles - both in dramatic fashion - setting the tone for the rest of the match.

The Sagehens then won the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 singles matches in straight sets to clinch the regional championship.

Chapman (13-5) earned the first point of the match on the strength of a big rally from the freshmen tandem of Genna Ford and Amy Logan. The duo was trailing 5-2 in the No. 3 doubles match before rattling off six straight wins to take the match 8-5.

The West Region's top-ranked doubles team of Liz Lewis and Kelley Fox from Chapman tried to pull off a similar rally in the No. 1 doubles match, but fell just short. Pomona's Jamie Solomon and Kara Wang led Chapman 7-4 before Lewis and Fox rallied to tie it at 7-7. However, the Sagehens responded by winning two in a row for the 9-7 upset victory.

In the No. 2 doubles match, Chapman's Candace Scholler and Cassidy Sirois were ahead 7-6 and serving for the win, before Pomona-Pitzer rallied for three straight and the 9-7 victory.

The doubles advantage gave the Sagehens a critical edge heading into singles play, where Pomona's Solomon, Wang and Nicole Holsted cruised to straight sets wins. Lewis - ranked No. 1 in the West - and Logan each led in their singles matches before the match was called. Ford was also leading in the second set after dropping the first.

The loss snapped No. 12 Chapman's six-match winning streak as the Panthers' season came to an end on Saturday. Lewis and Fox will continue on to Virginia without their teammates to participate in the singles and doubles championships May 28-30.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Match Results:

Doubles:
1) Jamie Solomon/Kara Wang (PP) def. Liz Lewis/Kelly Fox (CU) 9-7
2) Nicole Holsted/Emily Kawahara (PP) def Candace Scholler/Casady Sirois(CU) 9-7
3) Gena Ford/Amy Logan (CU) def. Jessica Hsu/Zoe Fisher (PP) 8-5
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles:
1) Lewis (CU) led Siobhan Finicane (PP) 6-3, 5-5
2) Solomon (PP) def. Kelly Fox (CU) 6-1, 6-3
3) Wang (PP) def. Scholler (CU) 6-4, 6-2
4) Holsted (PP) def. Sirois (CU) 6-2, 6-1
5) Hsu (PP) led Ford (CU) 6-3, 3-4
6) Logan (CU) led Fisher (PP) 6-4, 5-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 4

West Region championships website:
http://www.pe.pomona.edu/sports/women/wten/2009-10/news/ncaaregionals