Three Chapman women reach quarters at ITA Fall Regionals

CLAREMONT, Calif. – If there were any doubts the Chapman University women's tennis team is poised to make a run at the NCAA Division III West Region championship this spring, the Panthers made their opening argument this weekend. Three Chapman women reached as far as the quarterfinals and senior Kelley Fox lost in the semifinals at the ITA Division III Fall West Regionals at Claremont over the weekend.

Additionally, Chapman's top doubles team of Fox and senior Liz Lewis reached the finals of the doubles tournament before losing to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges' Kristin and Crystal Lim.

Chapman's women's team reached the West Region championship match in May but fell to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in the finals. However, the Panthers returned nearly their entire squad in 2010-11 and showed their strength in the first event of the year.

The three quarterfinalists: Fox, Lewis, and sophomore Genna Ford did not include sophomore Amy Logan, who upset No. 3 seed Kara Wang from Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in the first round of the tournament in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.

Fox had to work extra hard in all but her first round match, winning in three sets in the second and third rounds and the quarterfinals. The senior finally ran out of gas in the semis, losing to Pomona-Pitzer's Jamie Solomon in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. Solomon was a Panther slayer in the tournament, consecutively knocking out Chapman sophomore Danielle Kaiden in the third round, Ford in the quarters and Fox in the semis.

Ford handled her opponents with relative ease before facing Solomon, winning all three previous matches in straight sets, including a 6-1, 6-3 win over seeded Lila Luna from the University of La Verne to put her in the quarterfinals.

Lewis, the tournament's top seed, cruised through the first three sets but was dethroned from her back-to-back tournament championships (2008 and '09) by Claremont's Kristin Lim in the quarterfinals, 6-0, 6-3.

No. 2-seeded Fox and Lewis reached the finals of the doubles bracket, but lost in straight sets to Lim and Lim, 6-1, 6-1. Chapman's top duo won the Fall Regionals title in 2008, but Fox did not participate in the tournament last year. Kaiden and freshman Kelley Klebenow reached the quarterfinals of the doubles tournament for Chapman, but were knocked out, also by Lim and Lim.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Tournament Schedule & Results: http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/draws/TournamentDraws.aspx?T=101566