CMC75 Moments: 2006 Women's Tennis Advances to NCAA Semis with 5-4 win over DePauw

As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moments, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.

Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
2006 Women's Tennis: CMS 5, DePauw 4 (NCAA Quarterfinals)

The CMS Women's Tennis program had been a regular in the NCAA Championships since its first bid in 1995, as the 2006 team became the 12th Athena squad in a row to earn an NCAA appearance. CMS reached the NCAA Quarterfinals three times in 1995, 1997 and 1998, but after the NCAA expanded its format to include larger regionals in 2000, the Athenas hadn't made it back to nationals. For three years in a row, SCIAC rival Redlands had knocked them out in the regionals, but in 2006, CMS turned the tables and pulled out a 6-2 win over Bulldogs to make it back to nationals for the first time since 1998.

Not content to stop there, CMS defeated DePauw 5-4 in a dramatic quarterfinal match to reach the NCAA Semifinals for the first time in program history, which would match the deepest tournament run for CMS Women's Tennis until the 2018 team won the whole thing. The Athenas trailed DePauw 2-1 after doubles, but came away with two three-set wins in singles to prevail by the narrowest of margins.

Yasmin Entekhabi (6-2, 6-1) earned a quick win at No. 2, and Emily Johnston won 7-6, 6-0 at No. 6 (after an 8-6 tiebreaker). Jessica Nagasako went to a tiebreaker in the third before winning 6-1, 6-7, 7-6 at No. 3 (dominating the winning tiebreaker 7-1), and Stephanie Hammond added a 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 5.

After falling in the semis to No. 1 Washington & Lee, CMS added a win in the third-place match 5-3 over Trinity, for the highest finish for a CMS women's team in any sport at that point. Entekhabi and Jeannine Liang won at No. 1 doubles, and Kristen Handley and Lisa Steckmest earned a win at No. 3 doubles to put CMS ahead 2-1. Liang then won 6-0, 6-3 at No. 1 singles, Hammond won 6-0, 6-4 at No. 5, and Nagasako won the clincher at 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 at No. 4.

Liang was named the SCIAC Player of the Year, and earned All-America honors in singles and doubles, along with Entekhabi in doubles. Nagasako was also a first-team All-SCIAC selection, and Allison Laygo was named to the second team.

Jeannine Leang:

Finally beating Redlands was such a redeeming and defining moment, because they had stopped us from going to Nationals the last three consecutive years and it was very similar line-ups on both ends. So the history and the personal investment were an even stronger part of our team's story and ultimate journey to Nationals. 

The camaraderie was so deep-rooted because of our friendship on and off the court, and we had just recently returned from a team trip to Hawaii, where we were able to compete against a few schools and also just spend some quality down time together. Our assistant coach, Kathy Settles, had also just gave birth to her fourth child, who we aptly nicknamed "smiley baby" because of his precious contagious smile. We have such fond memories of passing him amongst teammate to keep him occupied during the flight, and getting to finally travel by plane as a team (and of all places, Hawaii!). 

So with 2-3 years of developing a strong team bond and foundation, we were beyond elated and grateful to be going to Nationals, together as a team. Because it was being held in Santa Cruz that year, several of our parents and family were able to fly or drive in to also be a part of the experience and help support. It meant a lot to us because we felt like we had a bit of home with us away from home. As we entered our first match against DePauw, who we had never played before and knew had a strong record, we did our best to keep our composure and play like we had nothing to lose.

The competition was evident right from the start, as we finished doubles down 1-2. It's tough because when you're playing on your court, you don't know how everyone else is doing. Allison Laygo remembers every point being a fight and every point won being followed with a "come on!" or "let's go!". Every point mattered, not just to this doubles match, but for the team. 

We did our usual huddle after doubles and regrouping. Traditionally, we also would close our eyes to visualize how we wanted to play, remembering good footwork and fundamentals. As each of the six singles court fought for every point, I can also remember hearing the Athenas periodically cheering for each other, from their own courts. We had made it to Nationals and certainly weren't going to go down without giving it our absolute best, with no regrets. The energy was contagious, and knowing that each of our teammates were working so hard was inspiring to fight harder on our respective courts.

When it came down to the last match on, now tied 4-4, we gathered around the court and did our best to help support our teammate. When she pulled through and secured the 5-4 win, it was as if we had won the title, or even the Olympics for that matter. We may have seemed like an underdog, but we were just a group of girls who enjoyed the game of tennis, stayed consistent throughout the season, and finally earned our spot at Nationals like the other seven teams. We were going to play the best we could, even digging when we felt like we had nothing left, and whatever happened would happen. That, in and of itself, would be a win for us. Getting an actual win was just an added bonus, and such a moment for the Athena books, especially for the seniors, as it was their last hoorah with the team.

2006 Women's Tennis Roster
Head Coach: Max Retzlaff
Assistant Coaches: Kathy Settles, Michael Thoeresz
Yasmin Entekhabi (So., CMC)
Jessica Fox (Fr., CMC)
Jessica Gould (Fr., CMC)
Stephanie Hammond (So., CMC)
Kristen Handley (Sr., Scripps)
Emily Johnston (So., Scripps)
Elisa La Cava (Fr., CMC)
Allison Laygo (Jr., CMC)
Jeannine Liang (Sr., CMC)
Jessica Nagasako (Jr., CMC)
Olivia Taylor (Sr., Scripps)
Payton Watkins (Fr., Scripps)
Lisa Steckmest (So., CMC)