ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – The Brandeis University women's tennis team pulled an upset in the consolation round of the University Athletic Association tournament today as the seventh-seeded and 21st-ranked Judges topped sixth-seeded and 17th-ranked NYU, 6-3. The Judges improve to 11-7 on the season and will meet fifth-seeded and 16th-ranked Case Western Reserve in tomorrow's fifth-place match. The Violets fall to 8-2 on the campaign.
This was the second meeting of the season between the Judges and Violets, with NYU prevailing, 5-4, on April 7 in the Bronx. This time out, the Judges got off to a flying start, winning all three doubles matches – in the previous meeting, NYU won two of three. At No. 2, the Judges got the scoring started as rookie Lauren Bertsch (Middletown, R.I./LaSalle Academy) and junior Olivia Leavitt (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) won 8-3. Brandeis then got two late breaks at Nos. 1 and 3 to complete the sweep. Junior Keren Khromchenko (Manalapan, N.J./Academy of Allied Health and Science) and rookie Sabrina Ross Neergaard (Port Orchard, Wash./Laurel Springs Prep) were 8-6 winners at No. 1, while senior Haley Cohen (Cherry Hill, N.J./Laurel Springs Prep) teamed with rookie Rachel Zubrinsky (Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge) for a 9-7 win at No. 3.
In singles action, the bottom of the lineup carried the Judges to victory. Cohen rolled over NYU's Vanessa Scott, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 4 to make it 4-0, Brandeis. The Violets made it interesting at Nos. 1 and 2, where Anna Maria Buraya knocked off Ross Neergaard, 6-0, 6-3, and Coco Kulle topped Khromchenko, 6-4, 6-3, respectively.
Brandeis clinched the match at No. 6, where junior Michele Lehat (Great Neck, N.Y./John L. Miller Great Neck North) topped Kate Shaffer, 6-2, 6-2. Bertsch defeated Judy Kam at No. 5, 6-3, 6-3, for the Judges' final point, while Flyora Shiyanova won the only three-set match over Leavitt, 0-6, 6-4, 10-8 in a third set super-tiebreaker.