The fifth-ranked Middlebury women's tennis team fell in the NCAA Semifinals by a 5-1 score to top-ranked Emory (27-5) at Stowe Tennis Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Panthers finish their season with a 15-6 record, while the Eagles will play the winner of Williams and Bowdoin in Wednesday afternoon's championship match. The match marked just the second time in the Middlebury women's tennis history the program had reached the NCAA Semifinal, with the other coming in 2005.
Emory held a 3-0 advantage after doubles play against the Panthers. Paula Castro and Michelle Satterfield put Emory on the scoreboard with an 8-4 win at #3 over Alexandra Fields and Christina Puccinelli. The Eagles doubled their lead when Bridget Harding and Katarina Su earned a break early and tallied an 8-3 win in the second flight against Kaysee Orozco and Sadie Shackelford. In the #1 spot, the Eagles earned the sweep when Anna Fuhr and Madison Gordon also broke the Middlebury duo of Ria Gerger and Molly Paradies midway through the match en route to an 8-4 victory.
During singles play, Emory made it a 4-0 match when Gordon eased past Orozco at #5 by scores of 6-0, 6-0. Shortly after that, Middlebury made it a 4-1 contest when Gerger was victorious in straight sets by tallies of 6-3, 6-2 in the top slot over Harding. Gerger broke Harding twice in each set, including the final game of the second during her win.
Moments after Gerger won her match, Emory clinched the decisive fifth team point at #2 when Satterfield bested Fields by set scores of 6-1, 6-1.
Puccinelli, Paradies and Shackelford each trailed by a set at #3, #4 and #6 respectively. Shackelford was ahead by a 5-3 score in the second set after breaking Shackelford in the sixth flight.
Gerger and Fields will compete later in the week in the NCAA Division III Singles Championship at the same site. The brackets will be announced on Wednesday with action beginning Thursday morning.
Tuesday's match between Middlebury and Emory marked the 11th meeting in the all-time series in which the Eagles own a 9-2 record. The teams met on April 15 in Vermont, as the Panthers posted a narrow 5-4 victory, handing the Eagles their lone loss of the spring to a Division III team. The teams have played in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments with Emory winning all four matches. Middlebury's other victory came on April 13, 2012 in a 5-4 win at home.
