CHICAGO, Ill. -- The University of Chicago women's tennis team kept its postseason streak rolling with a hard-fought 5-1 victory over University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the NCAA Division III Championship Regional Final on Sunday. The No. 8-ranked Maroons (18-5) advance to the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals for the fifth-straight year.
UChicago started strong with a pair of dominant doubles wins. The Warhawks (21-9) then pulled the upset at No. 1 doubles to make the team score 2-1 heading into singles play.
In the previous meeting between the two teams, the Maroons shutout the Warhawks 9-0 on March 1. However, Wisconsin-Whitewater showed its mettle by taking the first set in three of the six singles matches. UChicago weathered the momentum shift and forced a third set at both No. 4 and No. 5 singles. The Maroons then ended the contest with a trio of straight-set victories at No. 1, No. 3 and No. 6 singles to clinch the team victory.
"We are excited to be back in the quarterfinals, especially after losing so much talent to graduation last year," said Head Coach Jay Tee. "Some people might have thought we weren't going to be as strong this season, but our team showed that they can compete at an elite level. I told the ladies afterwards that it's a good thing this wasn't a beauty contest in terms of our play, but we've found ways to win all year and today is another example of that. We came back from some deficits and battled strong throughout the lineup. It was a great team win."
UChicago 5, Wisconsin-Whitewater 1
Singles
1. Megan Tang (UC) def. Sydney Divelbiss (UWW) 6-2, 6-4
2. Alexandra Bayliss (UWW) vs. Linden Li (UC) 6-3, 6-5, unfinished
3. Helen Sdvizkhov (UC) def. Jackie Vitale (UWW) 6-1, 6-2
4. Kelsey McGillis (UC) vs. Megan Kasten (UWW) 3-6, 6-2, 4-2, unfinished
5. Sruthi Ramaswami (UC) vs. Lauren Aguilar (UWW) 5-7, 6-0, 3-0, unfinished
6. Stephanie Lee (UC) def. Erika Williams (UWW) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. Alexandra Bayliss/Sydney Divelbiss (UWW) def. Megan Tang/Helen Sdvizkhov (UC) 9-7
2. Linden Li/Kelsey McGillis (UC) def. Megan Kasten/Jackie Vitale (UWW) 8-3
3. Sruthi Ramaswami/Maggie Schumann (UC) def. Lauren Aguilar/Kelly Foster (UWW) 8-1