Strong finish earns women's tennis a sixth-place finish at SCIAC Championships
ORANGE, Calif. – In its first appearance at the SCIAC Championships, the Chapman University women's tennis team was victorious in one of its three matches, earning sixth place in the conference tournament held at the Biszantz Tennis Center in Claremont over the weekend.
Match 1: University of Redlands 5, Chapman University 0 (May 3)
With a tough draw in the opening round, the Panthers were shutout by third-place Redlands, 5-0. The first round loss marked the second time the Bulldogs shutout the Panthers this season, following a 9-0 contest at Redlands on March 22.
Despite being swept in doubles play, all three matchups were highly contested. On the No. 1 court, Andrea Hammer and Kelley Klebenow narrowly missed a victory, dropping an 8-6 decision to their Bulldog counterparts. Arielle Kubetschek and Madison Mathis suffered the same fate on the No. 3 court, while Sophia Duong and Genna Ford lost 8-4 in their matchup.
With three victories secured, the Bulldogs needed just two wins in singles play to advance. They got those wins rather quickly as Klebenow lost to Julia Pollak in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, followed by Nelson's defeat in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1.
Box score: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wten/2012-13/files/ur-cu.htm
Match 2: Chapman University 5, Cal Lutheran 1 (May 3)
The Panthers bounced back in the second round with a 5-1 win over Cal Lutheran, earning spot in the fifth place game against Whittier on Saturday. Friday's dominant win marked the second time this season that Chapman has bested Cal Lu as the Panthers won a 5-4 decision at Cal Lu on Feb. 23.
Doubles play got off to a rocky start for Chapman, as their No. 1 duo of Hammer and Klebenow dropped an 8-4 decision to Emily Werman and Sarah Baker. The loss would be the only blemish in the match for the Panthers as the No. 2 duo of Duong and Ford earned a resounding 8-0 victory, followed by an 8-6 win from Kubetschek and Mathis.
Three straight sets wins by the Panthers secured the 5-1 win as Hammer, Ford and Klebenow clinched the victory. Klebenow, who played from the No. 4 position, won 6-0, 6-0 while Hammer was near perfect, defeating Lindsay Murphy on the No. 1 court, 6-0, 6-1.
Box score: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wten/2012-13/files/cu-clu2.htm
Match 3: Whittier College 5, Chapman University 4 (May 4)
Despite dropping a 5-4 decision in the fifth-place game, the Panthers finished their season on a high note, narrowly missing an upset win over a strong Poets squad.
The Poets earned an early 2-1 advantage in doubles play, edging out the Panthers with a nail-biter on the No. 2 court. The duo of Duong and Ford fought valiantly against their Poet counterparts in a losing effort, dropping the match, 9-8 (4).
The doubles advantage paid off for Whittier as the two teams split the six individual matches. The Poets earned wins on the No. 1 and No. 2 courts, while Ford stepped up with a hard-fought, three-set win (6-2, 4-6, 6-1) to keep Chapman's hopes alive. Klebenow and Kubetschek added to Ford's efforts with straight sets wins, but the Panthers were unable to notch a clinching victory.
Box score: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wten/2012-13/files/wc-cu2.htm
by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant
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