Chapman's All-American seniors fall at NCAA Championships

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The four-year reign of Chapman University women's tennis standouts Liz Lewis and Kelley Fox came to an end on Friday afternoon as the pair lost in the first round of NCAA Division III doubles championships at the Pauley Tennis Complex in Claremont. The duo was eliminated from the playoffs with a straight sets defeat 6-4, 6-3 to Janelle Arita and Kelly Gebert from DePauw University who advanced to the quarterfinals.

Earlier in the day, Lewis also lost in the first round of the singles championships 6-1, 6-1 to the finals' No. 3 seed Kendra Higgins from the University of Chicago. The loss ended the senior's brilliant four-year career as Chapman's all-time career leader in singles victories (81-21 overall).

Lewis, an All-American for the fourth straight year, finished her senior season with a 14-7 singles record.

For Lewis and Fox, the loss marked the finale of their record-breaking career as a doubles team. Chapman's dynamic duo won more matches (62) than any other pair in school history and reached the national championships in three consecutive years (2009-11). The three-time All-American team won over 63 percent of their matches after finishing their senior year with a record of 14-12.

The seniors also combined for 132 singles wins over the past four years and led the Panthers to the NCAA West Regional playoffs every year, including top-25 national rankings all four years.

Results: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/tennis-women/d3

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director