CLAREMONT, Calif. -
Ananya Sriniketh and
Celestina Cedillo-Vayson de Pradenne came back from 5-1 down to clinch the doubles point,
Rebecca Kong and
Leah Baroudi won the third and fourth points in singles just seconds apart, as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's tennis team defeated Pomona-Pitzer to win the NCAA Regional title at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center on Sunday.
With the win, CMS improves to 25-1 on the season and moves on the NCAA Division III Championships in Chatanooga, Tennessee, starting on May 18.
Doubles saw
Lindsay Eisenman and Kong earn a quick 6-1 win at No. 1, but the other two courts followed oddly similar patterns. Sriniketh and Cedillo-Vayson de Pradenne were down 5-1 at No. 2, while Pomona-Pitzer was down 5-1 at No. 3. Both trailing teams rattled off five wins in a row for 6-5 leads, before they were broken back to get to a tiebreaker.
Sriniketh and Cedillo-Vayson de Pradenne, who fought off a match point at deuce down 5-3, were able to come back in the tiebreaker for a 6-4 lead. After Pomona-Pitzer fought off one match point, Cedillo-Vayson de Pradenne won it with a backhand to clinch the doubles point for CMS.
The Athenas were then able to take care of business and finish off the match quickly in singles. Srinketh earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 3, and Kong earned a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2 to give CMS a 3-0 lead, battling back from 15-40 down to win the final game. As Kong was walking to the net, Baroudi hit a backhand winner to finish a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5 to seal the match.
Bell Zhou was up a set at No. 4 singles when her match was halted (6-2, 2-3). Cedillo-Vayson de Pradenne fell in the first set, but was up 5-0 in the second, closing in on a split at No. 6. Eisenman led 2-1 in the second set at No. 1, after falling 6-4 in the first.
CMS has now won 25 matches in a row, since an opening day loss to UC Riverside, a Division I school, back in January. The Athenas have qualified for nationals every year since 2011, a streak of 14 straight seasons (skipping two for the pandemic) and have won three national titles in that span (2018, 2022, 2023). They will look to make a run at their fourth when they head to Chattanooga in a week for the national quarterfinals.
