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The Grinnell College women's tennis team saw its history-making season come to a close Saturday, May 9, with a 5-0 setback to the nation's fourth-ranked team, the University of Chicago, in NCAA Division III Tournament play.
Chicago swept the doubles competition with wins over the teams of Toby Cain '12-Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Maya Lipert '09-Katie Colver '09 and Jill Akiyama '10-Kelsey Picken '10. Cain and Akiyama lost in singles play to complete the win for Chicago.
Grinnell wound up its campaign at 20-7 and became the first Pioneer women's tennis team this season to win an NCAA Tournament match.
"This was obviously our last match of the season and our women went down to a very strong team," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "But I was pleased with how they competed in a match against the nation's best. I think this weekend's play made our women realize they're a solid team, but also that there are other levels above us to which we can aspire."
University of Chicago 5, Grinnell 0
The Grinnell College women's tennis team made history on Friday, May 8, by earning its first-ever victory in NCAA Division III Tournament play.
The Pioneers blanked Westminster (Mo.) 5-0 in Greencastle, Ind., to move into the regional semifinals on Saturday, where they'll play the nation's fourth-ranked team, the University of Chicago. Match time is 1 p.m.
Grinnell, which improved to 20-6 on the season, swept doubles play with victories by the teams of Toby Cain '12-Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 (8-4), Katie Colver '09-Maya Lipert '09 (8-0) and Jill Akiyama '11-Kelsey Picken '11 (8-2). Grinnell finished the victory as Colver won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles and Sukharnikova posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 5.
"It's exciting to be a part of Grinnell's first NCAA women's tennis tournament victory," said Pioneers' coach Andy Hamilton. "I'm really excited for senior captains Katie Colver and Maya Lipert. They set the tone with dominant doubles play in an 8-0 win, and as I watched us playing singles I thought all the women were hitting the ball very well and playing at a high level."
Westminster finishes its campaign at 10-10. Hamilton is looking forward to his team's contest against the University of Chicago. "We're excited to be in a regional semifinal," he said. "Looking at an opponent who is ranked fourth in the nation could be daunting, but we're approaching it with excitement."
Grinnell 5, Westminster 0
Times have been announced for regional competition of the 2009 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships hosted by DePauw University this weekend.
Grinnell College, 14-2 during the fall season and 19-6 overall, will play Westminster (Mo.) at 1 p.m. Central time Friday in a first-round match at Blackstock Courts in Greencastle, Ind. That contest will be preceded by a match featuring 14th-ranked Washington University and Manchester at 9 a.m.
In Saturday's semifinals, 12th-rated DePauw faces the Washington/Manchester winner at 9 a.m. and the fourth-rated University of Chicago takes on the Grinnell/Westminster winner at 1 p.m. Sunday's championship will feature Saturday's winners at 11:30 a.m.
"Our matchup with Westminster looks to be a very competitive match," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "The telling sign for us will be whether we have all the wrinkles ironed out of our game because spring is not our primary season. I'm very excited for our senior captains - Katie Colver '09 and Maya Lipert '09 - to lead us into what I hope to be a successful postseason run."
Colver and Lipert have combined to go 20-5 in doubles play this season, while Jill Akiyama '11 and Kelsey Picken '11 are 19-6. Toby Cain '12 and Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 are 16-8 at the top spot. In singles play, Colver is 24-3, Akiyama owns a 17-9 mark,
Westminster, from Fulton, Mo., is 10-9 on the season. No. 1 singles player Abby Stuck is 5-13, while Athetia Peterson is 6-5 at No. 2. The best mark belongs to Caitlin Lamkin, who is 13-2. Dori Craighead and Stuck are 8-1 in doubles, primarily playing at the No. 2 spot.
Tournament Web Page
The Grinnell College women's tennis team tuned up for NCAA Division III Tournament regional play with an 8-1 home victory over Augustana College on Sunday, April 26.
The Pioneers swept doubles play with wins by the teams of Toby Cain '12-Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Katie Colver '09-Maya Lipert '09 and Jill Akiyama '10-Kelsey Picken '10. Cain and Sukharnikova won by shutout.
Singles winners in the 2 through 6 spots were Akiyama, Colver, Lipert, Sukharnikova and Elizabeth Spears '11. Lipert gave up just three games in her two-game sweep. With the win, Grinnell improved to 19-6 while Augustana dipped to 12-13.
"We had good collective energy and focus, which showed up in our results," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "It was good for Maya and Katie to finish their home careers on such a positive note in front of a nice crowd. They both are back in to the good form they showed through the fall season. After a pretty tough week of play where we didn't have our regular starting lineup, I was pleased to see the positive mindset our women displayed. Now we have to stay focused and clean up a few technical problems before the NCAA regional."
Grinnell 8, Augustana 1
Central College slipped past Grinnell College 5-4 in a women's tennis match on Wednesday, April 22, in Pella, Iowa.
Three of the Pioneers' wins came in singles play, those coming from Jill Akiyama '10, Katie Colver '09 and Maya Lipert '09 at the top three spots. Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 and Lindsay Smith '09 were victorious at No. 3 doubles.
The Pioneers close out the regular season at home Sunday against Augustana College, starting at 1 p.m. Grinnell then moves on to NCAA Regional play.
Cornell College slipped past Grinnell College 5-4 in women's tennis action on Tuesday, April 21, at the 10th Avenue Courts.
Grinnell won two of three doubles matches, with wins coming by Katie Colver '09 and Maya Lipert '09 and Jill Akiyama '10 and Kelsey Picken '10. In singles play, Grinnell's winners were Lipert and Elizabeth Montgomery '11.
"I'm very pleased how we played at No. 2 and 3 doubles," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "They moved their feet well and performed great on a very windy day. In singles, we competed well in the middle and bottom of the lineup. I'm especially happy how Elizabeth Spears and Elizabeth Montgomery competed after moving into the varsity lineup."
Cornell improved to 20-8 on the season, while Grinnell dipped to 18-5. The Pioneers place at Central College in Pella on Wednesday.
The Grinnell College women's tennis team ended its trip to Orlando, Fla., with a victory and a setback on Friday, March 20.
The Pioneers worked past Franklin & Marshall College of Pennsylvania 5-4 and fell to Georgetown College of Kentucky, ranked 25th in NAIA, by an 8-0 score. Singles winners for Grinnell against Franklin & Marshall were Jill Akiyama '10, Katie Colver '09, Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Elizabeth Spears '11 and Laura Goffman '09.
Grinnell is now 18-4 in the 2008-09 campaign.
Georgetown 9, Grinnell 0
Grinnell 5, Franklin & Marshall 4
The Grinnell College women's tennis team posted wins in two of three matches in recent days, beating Roger Williams and Le Tourneau by 8-1 scores on Monday and Tuesday, and then falling to Carthage 8-1 on Thursday.
Toby Cain '12 (left) and Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 (right) were a perfect 3-for-3 in doubles play in their matches. Jill Akiyama '10 and Kelsey Picken '10 won twice in that span, while Katie Colver '09 and Maya Lipert '09 had one doubles win.
Akiyama, Colver, Lipert and Sukharnikova each won singles matches against Roger Williams and Le Tourneau, while Cain and Elizabeth Spears '11 had one win each.
Grinnell, 17-3 in the 2008-09 campaign, is slated to play Georgetown and Franklin & Marshall on Friday.
Grinnell 8, Roger Williams 1
Grinnell 8, Le Tourneau 1
Carthage 8, Grinnell 1
The Grinnell College women's tennis team got its spring break trip to Orlando, Fla., off to a strong start with an 8-1 victory over Sweet Briar on Sunday, March 15.
The Pioneers swept doubles play with victories by the teams of Toby Cain '12-Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Maya Lipert '09-Katie Colver '09 and Jill Akiyama '10-Kelsey Picken '10. Akiyama and Picken shut out their foe.
In singles play, winners for Grinnell were Akiyama, Colver, Lipert, Sukharnikova and Elizabeth Spears '11. Lipert won by consecutive scores of 6-0, while Sukharnikova lost just two games while winning 12.
Grinnell 8, Sweet Briar 1
Katie Colver '09 (left) made Midwest Conference history as a trio of Grinnell College women's tennis players claimed league singles titles at the MWC Championships Sunday in Madison, Wis.
Colver claimed top honors at the No. 3 spot, making her the first person in history to win 12 MWC titles - four in singles play, four in doubles and four team crowns.
Other Pioneers winning conference singles titles were Maya Lipert '09 (center) at the No. 4 spot and Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 (right) at No 5. Lipert is a three-time MWC singles champ and has 11 overall crowns, winning four doubles titles with Colver and being a part of four Grinnell team championships.
Colver opened the day with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Molly Stapleton of Lake Forest College, followed by a 6-2, 6-3 semifinal win over Samantha Bachman of Carroll University and 6-3, 6-4 win over Lisa Ritland of Lawrence University in the finals.
Lipert blanked Chelsey Foster of Ripon College by consecutive 6-0 scores in the first round and then beat Lily Rubenstein of Beloit College 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals and Brittany Donnelly of Monmouth College 6-2, 6-0 in the title match. Sukharnikova topped Erin Gebhardt of Ripon 5-7, 6-0, 6-0 in the first round and then recorded victories over Sara Bennett of Lake Forest 6-1, 6-2 and Sarah Anthony of Carroll 6-2, 6-3.
Curran Johnson '09 placed second at No. 6 singles. She beat Tricia Goska of Carroll 7-5, 6-3 and Deepika Ramachandran of Lake Forest 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 before falling to Emma Kent of Lawrence 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 in the title match.
In the No. 1 division, Grinnell's Toby Cain '12 beat Megan Funk of Knox College 6-0, 6-1 in a play-in round and then defeated Kelly Van Handel of St. Norbert College 6-3, 6-2 before losing to Elizabeth Larson 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals.
At No. 2 singles, Jill Akiyama '10 beat Jordan Kuban of Knox College 6-1, 6-1 in a play-in and then lost to Amy Unzicker of Monmouth 6-2, 6-0 in the first round.
2008 MWC Number One Singles Tournament
2008 MWC Number Two Singles Tournament
2008 MWC Number Three Singles Tournament
2008 MWC Number Four Singles Tournament
2008 MWC Number Five Singles Tournament
2008 MWC Number Six Singles Tournament
Grinnell College's Maya Lipert '09 (left) and Katie Colver '09 (right) put themselves in elite company Saturday night when they teamed up to win their fourth Midwest Conference doubles title in a row at the league championships in Madison, Wis.
They teamed up to beat Hanah McCarthy and Tara Lahtinen of Lawrence University 6-1, 6-3 in the No. 2 doubles title match. Lipert and Colver have won the No. 2 doubles title each of the last three seasons after winning at No. 3 in 2005.
The Pioneers' duo opened the day with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Callie Schroeder and Stephanie Marek of St. Norbert College and then beat Stacy Hraban and Sarah Anthony of Carroll University in the semifinals by scores of 6-1, 6-1.
Grinnell's Jill Akiyama '10 and Kelsey Picken '10 finished second at the No. 3 doubles spot. They opened the day with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Megan Sockness and Brooke Deans of Ripon College and topped Emily Maroney and Julia Win of Beloit College 6-2, 0-6, 7-5 in the semifinals. In the title match, Emily Dalton and Emma Kent of Lawrence edged the Pioneer duo 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
At No. 1 doubles, Grinnell's Toby Cain '12 and Tatyana Sukharnikova '12 advanced to the semifinals before losing. They opened the day with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Chelsey Foster and Josie Ullsperger of Ripon College and then fell to Hannah Perwin and Erika Zevin of Beloit.
The tourney concludes today with singles competition.
No. 1 Doubles Results
No. 2 Doubles Results
No. 3 Doubles Results
It's five Midwest Conference titles in a row for the Grinnell College women's tennis team, and the automatic NCAA Tournament berth that goes along with it.
The Pioneers defeated Lawrence University 5-1 in the title match Friday afternoon in Rockford, Ill. Not only did the win secure another championship, but avenged a loss to the Vikings earlier in the season.
Grinnell swept doubles play with the teams of Toby Cain '12-Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Katie Colver '09-Maya Lipert '09 and Jill Akiyama '10-Kelsey Picken '10. Cain and Sukharrnikova won 6-4, 6-4 to improve to 10-4 on the season, Colver and Lipert posted a 5-7, 7-5, 6-0 win to move to 13-2 and Akiyama and Picken won 6-4, 6-0 as they improved to 12-2.
In singles play, the Pioneers got wins from Colver and Sukharnikova to secure the team win. Colver won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3 doubles and Sukharnkova posted a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 5. Colver is now 15-1 and Sukharnikova is 14-1.
Grinnell improved to 14-2 with the win, while Lawrence fell to 13-5. The tournament moves to Madison, Wis., on Saturday for MWC doubles play and then singles play wraps things up on Sunday.
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