Wellesley Tennis Finishes Fourth at Nor’Easter Bowl
WELLESLEY, Mass. – Skidmore College posted a 6-3 victory over host Wellesley College earning the Thoroughbreds third place in the 2012 Nor'Easter Bowl. Skidmore, the fifth seed entering the tournament, took a lead in doubles and never looked back, as the third-seeded Blue finished fourth overall at the event.
Skidmore took a 2-1 advantage after doubles play, with wins at the second and third positions. At two, Yumi Karlshoej and Melissa Hirsch teamed up for an 8-4 win over Wellesley's Diana Granger and Erica Choo. At three, Tory Engros and Robyn Baird were 8-4 winners over Melissa Clark and Kendall Tada. Wellesley got on the board at first doubles, where Marie Watanabe and Sojung Lee paired for a marathon 9-8 (4) victory over Nataly Mendoza and Lee Ford.
In singles play, Wellesley's Watanabe and Lee each picked up their second victories of the day for the Blue, but it wasn't enough as Skidmore won at two, three, four and six to seal the win.
Skidmore increased its lead to 3-1 as Mendoza was a quick 6-2, 6-1 winner over Clark at three. Wellesley got one back as Watanabe cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Hirsch at one. The Thoroughbreds then extended their advantage to 4-2 as Ford topped Granger, 7-5, 6-2 at four, and finally sealed the deciding point with Karlshoej's 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Tada at six.
Wellesley added a third team point with Lee's 6-4, 6-3 win in the fifth spot, but Skidmore set the final to 6-3, as Engros defeated Choo, 7-5, 6-3, at two.
Skidmore, ranked #24 in the latest ITA poll, improves to 9-2 on the season. Wellesley, the 18th-ranked team, dips to 12-4.
The three-day Nor'Easter Bowl featured six of the top 30 teams in the country in Division III tennis. #3 Amherst, the top seed in the tournament, cruised to an 8-1 victory over second-seeded and 12th-ranked Tufts in the title match. #19 Brandeis took fifth place with a 5-4 win over #30 Bates, while MIT finished seventh with a 6-3 victory over Puerto Rico Mayaguez.
Other Nor'Easter Bowl Matches:
Championship - Amherst 8, Tufts 1
Top-seeded Amherst cruised through the championship match of the Nor'Easter Bowl, posting an 8-1 victory over second-seeded Tufts. The Lord Jeffs cruised through doubles, picking up the 3-0 sweep with the closest match coming at two with an 8-3 score. In singles, Amherst won five of the six matches to seal the team title. Tufts picked up a win at four singles, earning only point from the Lord Jeffs in the entire tournament.
5th/6th Place - Brandeis 5, Bates 4
Fourth-seeded Brandeis used strong singles play to grab a narrow 5-4 victory from sixth-seeded Bates. Bates opened with a 2-1 lead after doubles, taking one and two, while Brandeis grabbed a point at three. In singles, Bates won at one and four, but Brandeis earned points at two, three, five and six to earn the team victory.
7th/8th Place - MIT 6, PR Mayaguez 3
Seventh seeded MIT picked up a 6-3 victory over eighth-seeded Puerto Rico Mayaguez. The Engineers led 2-1 after doubles competition, taking one and two, while PR picked up a point at three. In singles, MIT won four of the six matches to seal the team victory. PR recorded wins at one and five, earning its first wins of the tournament.