Top-Seeded Athenas Poised for SCIAC Tournament Run
CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Athenas are currently ranked No. 3 in the country and hold the top seed in the SCIAC Tournament this weekend after putting together an overall record of 22-2 in the regular season and a 7-0 mark in SCIAC play. CMS will host fourth-seeded Chapman on Friday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center in the SCIAC Semifinals and would hold home-court advantage for the SCIAC Championships on Saturday afternoon should they advance.
In the other semifinal, third-seeded Redlands and second-seeded Pomona-Pitzer will square-off across the street on Friday. The winner of that match will play the winner of CMS vs. Caltech at the higher seed's home court.
See below for a quick snapshot of the teams in the field:
No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas - 22-2, 7-0 SCIAC
The Athenas completed a perfect SCIAC regular season with a 7-0 mark to lock up the top-seed in the SCIAC Tournament. Featured at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions for CMS, Catherine Allen has collected an impressive with a 20-5 overall record to lead the Athenas on the year. A mainstay in No. 1 and No. 2 doubles with partner Caroline Cox, the tandem has logged a 17-2 mark this season in doubles play.
All-SCIAC honors
Catherine Allen - So. - First Team, SCIAC Athlete of the Year
Nicole Tan - So. - First Team
Lindsay Brown - Sr. - First Team
Rebecca Berger - Fr. - Second Team
Kyla Scott - Sr. - Second Team
Caroline Cox - Fr. - Second Team
No. 4 Chapman Panthers - 10-8, 4-3 SCIAC
The Panthers earned the fourth-seed in the SCIAC Tournament with a 4-3 record in conference play and will take on CMS in the Semifinals. Chapman's Alisa Ogranovich has been prominently featured at No. 1 singles for the Panthers throughout the 2018 campaign. Ogranovich has totaled a 13-6 overall mark, while also posting a record of 5-2 in No. 2 doubles with teammate Vasillisa Trofimova.
All-SCIAC honors
Alisa Ogranovich - Fr. - First Team, SCIAC Newcomer of the Year
Will Marino - Coach of the Year
SCIAC Sportsmanship Team
When they met: Back on Feb. 24 the Athenas were dominate in a 9-0 victory over the Panthers. CMS started off by sweeping through the doubles matches to build a 3-0 lead before claiming all six singles matches in straight-sets. In singles play, no CMS player dropped more than two games in their entire match.
No. 2 Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens - 13-6, 6-1 SCIAC
The Sagehens earned the second-seed in the SCIAC Tournament with a 6-1 mark in the SCIAC this season. Primarily slotted at No. 1 or No. 2 singles, Pomona-Pitzer's Maryann Zhao has recorded a 14-5 overall record so far in 2018, while she and teammate Arianna Chen have secured a 7-1 record from No. 1 doubles. Zhao has also teamed with Emily Chen this season and together the duo has posted an 11-5 overall mark.
All-SCIAC honors
Mary Ann Zhao - Sr. - First Team
Caroline Casper - Jr. - First Team
Summer Garrison - Jr. - Second Team
Shivani Doraiswami - Sr. - Second Team
When they met: Pomona-Pitzer was the only team in SCIAC play to take a team point off the the Athenas, winning the top doubles court on Apr. 12 in the Sixth Street rivalry. CMS prevailed with the other eight team points for the 8-1 victory, but a number of the singles courts were extremely close. Four of the six singles matches went to three sets, but the Athenas held on for the wins on all four courts.
No. 3 Redlands Bulldogs - 11-9, 5-2 SCIAC
The Bulldogs played to a 5-2 mark in the SCIAC this season and have earned the third seed in the conference tournament. Redlands' Sarah Ikioka has paced the Bulldogs all season from No. 1 singles posting a 17-7 overall record. From the No. 1 doubles court, Ikioka and teammate Elizabeth Johnson have been stellar notching a record of 20-7 so far this season.
All-SCIAC honors
Sarah Ikioka - So. - First Team
When they met: The Athenas turned in a dominate performance against Redlands on Apr. 6 with a 9-0 sweep. CMS dropped a total of seven games in the six singles matches with Jessie Cruz and Anastasia Bryan-Ajania earing 6-0, 6-0 victories at the No. 4 and No. 5 singles spots, respectively.
Please note that portions of this article were borrowed from the SCIAC Women's Tennis Tournament Preview article.