Experienced Emory sees end to Athenas' NCAA run
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Despite delivering a hard-fought battle, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's tennis team saw its NCAA Tournament run end at the Final Four with its first loss of the season after a 5-1 defeat to No. 3 Emory. With hopes of making its first NCAA final, the No. 1 Athenas (29-1) were stopped by an experienced Emory lineup that featured five players who were members of both the 2014 and 2016 National Championship team.
Kyla Scott (HMC '18) and Madison Shea (CMC '20) were in a dogged battle against Paula Castro and Michelle DeMeo in No. 3 doubles, but could not take the lead as the Eagles took the first point 8-6. Nicole Tan (CMC '20) and Lindsay Brown (CMC '18) tied the game after winning their No. 1 doubles match 8-5, but Katie Kuosman (CMC '17) and Catherine Allen (SC '20) lost 8-5 as the Eagles held a 2-1 heading into singles.
Katarina Su swept her singles match with a pair of 6-0 wins over Jessie Cruz (CMC '20) to give Emory a 3-1 lead. Scott saw her lead in the first set short-lived as Bridget Harding came away with a 6-3 and 6-1 victory. Kuosman trailed 3-1 in her first set against Paula Castro, but came back and won two straight games to take a 6-5 lead. Unfortunately, Castro fought back to edge out Kuosman 7-6 with a 7-3 win in the tiebreaker and proceeded to seal the match with a 6-2 victory in the second set. Brown was close to winning her match, taking the first set 6-3 and leading 5-2 in the second, but could was unable to finish due to the decision.
The 2017 season marked the second-highest win total in CMS history, with the highest going to the 2013 team which won 31 games.
The Athenas will take tomorrow off and return to the court on Thursday, May 25 for the individual championships. Allen will pair with Kuosman and Brown will play alongside Tan in the doubles draw. Tan and Allen will also compete in the singles draw.
By Young Kim
Sports Information Assistant
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