LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The Brandeis women's tennis team picked up its biggest win of the 2011-12 season last night as the Judges, ranked 30th in Division III, defeated No. 18-ranked Chapman University, 5-4, in California. Brandeis improves to 4-0 on the season, while the Panthers fall to 3-1.
Brandeis was two tie-breakers away from making it a 7-2 victory. In doubles action, the squads split at the top two spots. Brandeis rookie Carley Cooke (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) and junior Faith Broderick (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) were 8-2 winners, while the tandem of Danielle Kaiden and Kelley Klebenow cruised to an 8-0 win at No. 2. At third doubles, Sophia Duong and Cassady Sirois outlasted Brandeis rookies Simone Vandroff (Moss Beach, Calif./Half Moon Bay) and Dylan Schlesinger (Miami, Fla./Palmetto) in a tiebreaker, 9-8 (7-4).
Brandeis rallied from the 2-1 deficit by taking four of the six singles matches. Cooke cruised at No. 1, 6-3, 6-2, over Duong, while sophomore Allyson Bernstein (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) was a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Genna Ford at No. 3. The teams split at the 4 and 5 positions, with Chapman's Boyer topping Brandeis sophomore Roberta Bergstein (Hingham, Mass./Hingham), 7-5, 6-1, at the fourth position, while Judge sophomore Alexa Katz (Philadelphia, Pa./Abington Friends) won 6-3, 6-3 at No. 5.
In the final two matches, Kaiden rallied to defeat Broderick after the third set went to a tiebreaker at No. 2, 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). The final match of the night featured Vandroff and Sirois in the No. 6 position, and Vandroff rallied from a set down for the clincher, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Brandeis returns to action on Friday against Whittier College with a Saturday showdown against #28 University of Redlands wrapping up the trip to California.
SINGLES
1) Carley Cooke (BR) def. Sophia Duong (CU) 6-3, 6-2
2) Danielle Kaiden (CU) def. Faith Broderick (BR) 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
3) Allyson Bernstein (BR) def. Genna Ford (CU) 6-4, 6-2
4) Melissa Boyer (CU) def. Roberta Bergstein (BR) 7-5, 6-1
5) Alexa Katz (BR) def. Kelley Klebenow (CU) 6-3, 6-3
6) Simone Vandroff (BR) def. Cassady Sirois (CU) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
DOUBLES
1) Cooke/Broderick (BR) def. Boyer/Logan (CU) 8-2
2) Kaiden/Klebenow (CU) def. Katz/Nina Levine (BR) 8-0
3) Duong/Sirois (CU) def. Vandroff/Dylan Schlesinger (BR) 9-8 (4)