Lewis earns top seed as Panthers begin championship quests

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Chapman University junior Liz Lewis is hoping the third time’s a charm as she begins her third bid for an NCAA national singles championship on Friday. And the oddsmakers have made the three-time All-American the favorite to win as the NCAA Division III women’s tennis championships committee announced the singles and doubles draws for the national championship tournaments which begin on Friday at the Battleground Tennis Complex.

Lewis has earned the top seed in the event even though she is 0-2 in her previous two appearances. The junior was paired against Nadita Krishnan from Johns Hopkins University (Md.) and is hoping for a deep run in the tournament. Lewis’s draw could potentially pit her against the defending national champion Lorne McManigle from Emory University (Ga.) in the quarterfinals.

Teammate Kelley Fox is making her first career appearance in the NCAA singles championships and will face No. 2 seed Kendra Higgins from the University of Chicago. Fox went 13-6 overall this season for the Panthers in singles play.

The first round of competition begins at 9 a.m. (EDT) with the second round taking place at noon (EDT) should Lewis and/or Fox advance. The juniors are two of the top 32 players in the country squaring off this weekend. Each berth in the championships comes with an All-America honor.

Lewis and Fox are also making their second bid at a doubles title after losing in the first round last year in Georgia. The Chapman duo is one of 16 teams in the bracket and will face Brittany Berckes and Laura Danzig from Amherst College (Mass.). The first round of doubles play will begin at 3 p.m. (EDT)

Chapman’s top doubles team is currently ranked No. 1 in the West Region with a record of 13-7 overall. The duo reached the quarterfinals at the Ojai Valley Tournament in April and has lost two of its past three matches, including a playoff loss to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges earlier this month.

Lewis is Chapman’s all-time leader in career victories at 66-13 and the only three-time All-American in school history. The junior won a string of 24 consecutive singles matches to open the year before falling in the quarterfinals at Ojai. She is 25-1 overall, including tournament wins at the D3 Fall West Regionals and the ITA Small Colleges Championships.

Meanwhile, Fox is tied for second in Chapman history with 42 career singles victories.

Fans can follow singles and doubles action live online: http://www.umweagles.com/sports/2010/5/13/ncaawtenindlivestats.aspx

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Tournament Brackets:
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/052710aaa.html

NCAA Championships Website:
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-tennis/champpage/w-tennis-div3-index.html