Lewis captures Small Colleges singles championship

MOBILE, Ala. -  Chapman University junior tennis player Liz Lewis won the ITA National Small College Championships singles title on Saturday, defeating No. 2 seed Kendra Higgins from the University of Chicago in straight sets 7-6 (5), 6-4 at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala. It's the first championship for a Chapman tennis player at this event and the second singles tournament title for Lewis this month.

Lewis was one of two non-seeded singles players to be crowned champion at the Small College Championships on Saturday. The two-time ITA All-American knocked off each of the top two seeds to win the title. She upset top-seeded Lorne McManigle of Emory University (Ga.), the reigning NCAA Women's Singles Champion, in Round 1 on Thursday and followed up her impressive tournament run by holding off Higgins on Saturday.

The junior also defeated Julia Browne of Tufts University (Mass.) on Friday 6-4, 6-0 in a semifinals rematch of last year's third-place match which Lewis also won in straight sets.

The win was the 50th singles victory of her collegiate career - an all-time Chapman record - and she improved to 9-0 this season and 50-12 in her career. In nine tournament appearances in her two-plus year career, Lewis now has three championships and two semifinal finishes.

Complete tournament results available online:
http://www.itatennis.com/Events/ITANationalChampionships/SmallCollege.htm