CMS, Pomona-Pitzer Split in Doubles Matches on Final Day of Host Invitational

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer women's tennis teams had some close battles a year ago, with CMS gaining the upper hand at the end with a 5-4 win in the SCIAC Championship, and this year's teams look evenly matched again as they split 10 doubles matches against each other on the final day of their co-hosted fall invitational.

Gabby Lee won both of her matches at No. 2 doubles, taking the first one 8-4 with Audrey Yoon and winning her second 6-4 with Lindsay Eisenman. First-years Katherine Wurster and Olivia Almy also picked up two wins, including the second one as teammates playing at No. 4 by a 7-5 score. 

Wurster also picked up a win at No. 4 with Ella Brissett in the opening match 8-3, while Almy and Arushi Malik won at No. 5 by the same 8-3 score. 

The two teams will continue their rivalry with higher stakes in two weeks, although not in a dual match format, when the 2022 ITA West Regionals are held in Claremont from Sept. 30-Oct. 2. A year ago, the Sagehens got the early upper hand in the rivarly by winning the ITA West Regional championship in doubles and having both singles finalists, which carried over into the early part of the spring with dual wins at the ITA Indoors and in the regular season SCIAC match.

CMS turned the tide at the end, though, with the aforementioned 5-4 win in the SCIAC finals, the ninth in a row for CMS since Pomona-Pitzer won its last title in 2011. The Athenas then went on to win the NCAA Division III national championship over Chicago, after the Sagehens fell to Middlebury 5-4 in the quarterfinals.