Posted: Oct 16, 2016
The Brandeis women's tennis team competed at the New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament last weekend at Smith and Mount Holyoke. The Judges had first-round wins from three of their four entries, with one squad making it to the semifinals of the tournament. The format was a two-player team, with the teams playing two singles and one doubles match against each other.
A Flight
- Rookie Sabrina Ross Neergaard (Port Orchard, Wash./Laurel Springs Prep) and sophomore Olivia Leavitt (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) made it to the semi-finals of the A flight draw, defeating the #1 Babson and #4 Amherst team. Ross Neergaard's score against Yagmur Akgul of Babson was 6-4, 6-0, while Leavitt grinded it out to finish on top in the end with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 10-6 against Dina Weick. The Judges dropped the doubles match, 8-2, but were still able to advance.
- In the next round, the Judges knocked off an Amherst squad with an 8-3 doubles win and a 6-2, 6-4, singles win from Ross Neergaard over Megan Adamo. Leavitt nearly made it a sweep after winning the first set, 6-4, but fell 6-2 in the second and dropped a super tie-breaker, 10-7, to Claire Carpenter. The Brandeis win prevented Amherst from taking all four semifinal berths.
- Brandeis met the #2 Amherst squad in the semifinals. The Judges pushed the members of the 2016 NCAA quarterfinalists, but dropped a 2-1 decision. Leavitt earned a 7-6. 5-7, 6-4 win over Maddie Dewire, but Anya Ivenitsky of the Purple and White defeated Ross Neergaard, 6-4, 6-1, in the other singles match and took the doubles contest, 8-2.
- Brandeis's #2 team consisted of junior Haley Cohen (Cherry Hill, N.J./Laurel Springs) and sophomore Sophia He (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Spackenkill). They made it to the quarterfinals of the A flight draw, defeating Mount Holyoke 1 in the first round. Cohen was up 6-2, 2-1 against Ayame Yazawa before the Lyon player retired. He defeated Ching Ching Huang 6-1, 6-2. In doubles, the MHC team also retired, after Brandeis won the first game.
- In the quarterfinals, Cohen and He fell to Jackie Calla and Avery Wagman of Amherst #1, 8-1. Calla defeated Cohen 6-1, 6-2, while Wagman topped He, 6-3, 6-2. The Amherst squad went on to defeat their #2 team for the title.
B Flight
- Sophomores Michele Lehat (Great Neck , N.Y. / John L. Miller Great Neck North) and Keren Khromchenko (Manalapan, N.J. / Academy of Allied Health and Science) faced Jessica Schroedl and Olivia Lakes from Simmons in the B Flight, winning 3-0. Khromchenko defeated Schroedl 6-1, 6-1 and Lehat took out Lakes, 6-0, 6-0. The Judges won in doubles, 8-3. In the next round, Brandeis fell to Trinity, 2-1, as Khromchenko topped Marlen Miranda, 6-3, 6-1, but Lehat fell, 6-3, 6-3, to Jillian Winer and the Bantams won 8-3 in doubles. .
UP NEXT
- The Judges travel to Middlebury College this weekend to wrap up their fall season.