Greencastle, Ind. (February 28, 2016)—The Pomona-Pitzer women’s tennis team won its first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Indoor National Championship on Saturday when the Sagehens defeated top-seeded Carnegie Mellon 5-0 at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. This marks the Sagehens’ first indoor championship and the second national championship in team history.
“We are so incredibly proud of our women’s tennis program,” said Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine. “To bring home a national championship for the second time in their history is a tremendous achievement. This is a great day for Sagehen Athletics and Pomona and Pitzer Colleges.”
Pomona-Pitzer won the title with five-straight wins over Carnegie Mellon in the championship match. The Sagehens entered the match as the No. 2 seed; as 2016 ITA Indoor National Champions, Pomona-Pitzer will take over the No. 1 ranking in NCAA Division III.
The Sagehens won all three of their doubles matches: Maryann Zhao (PO ’18) and Emily Chen (PO ’18) scored an 8-5 win in No. 1 doubles; Lea Lynn Yen (PO ’16) and Caroline Casper (PO ’19) took an 8-5 win in the No. 2 spot; and Joy Kim (PO ’19) and Arianna Chen (PO ’19) won the No. 3 spot with a score of 9-8 (7-2).
Pomona-Pitzer wasted no time claiming its national championship as Casper won her singles match 6-2, 6-4, and Zhao followed her teammate’s lead with a 6-1, 6-2 victory as the Sagehens swept the Tartans 5-0.
“This is the second national championships the Pomona-Pitzer women’s team has won in twenty years and the program’s first indoor title,” said head coach Ann Lebedeff. “It’s such an honor and we were so proud to represent both the Pomona and Pitzer colleges while playing against some great teams. Earning this title early in the season is a huge confidence builder for us. It proved to our team that we can compete and succeed in the highest level. We knew we had the potential, but it’s different when that potential becomes a reality.”
The Sagehens will return home as national champions and next host Mary Washington on Saturday, March 5, at 10 a.m.
