Second-Ranked Emory Women’s Tennis to Face Strong Competition at the Fab 5 Tournament

The Emory University women’s tennis team’s perfect record against NCAA Division III opponents will be tested this weekend, as the Eagles will head to Fredericksburg, VA for the Fab 5 Tournament.

Emory will enter the tournament as the second-ranked team in the nation and the top-ranked team in the Atlantic South Region.  The Eagles are 13-2 following their 6-3 win over eighth-ranked DePauw University last Saturday, and are now 11-0 against Division III opponents this season, including a 6-0 mark against ranked Division III teams.  Emory has won each of its last nine matches.

Emory features the Atlantic South Region’s top-ranked singles player in Lorne McManigle, in addition to third-ranked Zahra Dawson, sixth-ranked Jordan Wylie, and ninth-ranked Lindsay Reidenbach.  In the regional doubles rankings, Dawson and McManigle are ranked second, Tshema Nash and Sabra Rogers are ranked fifth, and Reidenbach and Wylie are ranked 12^th.

On Friday, March 26^th at 4:00 PM, the Eagles will face the University of Mary Washington, which is the host school for the tournament.  Mary Washington is currently ranked 13^th in the nation and fourth in the Atlantic South Region.  The Eagles are 6-4 on the season, and feature the region’s 18^th-ranked singles player in Courtney Goimarac and the 21^st-ranked singles player in Kathryn Schafer.  The two also combine to form the 11^th-ranked doubles team in the region.  Emory is 9-2 all time against Mary Washington, including an 8-1 win on neutral territory last season.

Saturday’s 4:00 PM match will feature the region’s two top-ranked opponents, as Emory will take on Washington and Lee University.  The Generals, ranked sixth in the nation, are 12-4 overall this season, including a 1-2 mark in neutral matches.  Washington and Lee features the regions’ seventh-ranked singles player in Lauren Caire, the 10^th-ranked player in Ann Morris, the 15^th-ranked player in Lauren Lukas and the 22^nd-ranked player in Blair Brezski.  Morris and Lukas also form the third-ranked doubles team in the region, while Caire and Trelsie Sadler are ranked 15^th.  The Eagles are 12-7 all time against the Generals after a pair of wins last season, including one in the regional championship match of the NCAA Tournament.

The most highly anticipated match of the tournament will take place on Sunday at 11:00 AM, as the Eagles will face the nationally third-ranked and reigning NCAA Champion Ephs of Williams College.  Williams will enter the weekend with a record of 4-1 this season, with the team’s only loss coming against the nation’s top-ranked team in Amherst College.  The Ephs feature the Northeast Region’s top-ranked singles player in Kristen Alotta, the fifth-ranked player in Grace Baljon, the 10^th-ranked player in Nikki Reich, and the 12^th-ranked player in Nancy Worley.  They also have the regionally fourth-ranked doubles team with Baljon and Taylor French, and the seventh-ranked pairing of Alotta and Reich.  Emory is 7-5 all time against Williams, but suffered a pair of losses to the Ephs last season, including a 5-0 loss in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

All the matches will be held at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA.