Second-seeded Middlebury advanced to the NESCAC Championship with a 5-4 win over third-seeded Amherst in a match played at the Wallach Tennis Center hosted by Bates. The Panthers will take on top-seeded Williams in the title match at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday. The contest will be played indoors at the Portland Racquet and Fitness Center in anticipation of rainy weather in the area.  

The Purple & White jumped out to a 1-0 lead in doubles when Vickie Ip and Kelsey Chen posted an 8-0 victory at #2 over Sadie Shackelford and Kaysee Orozco. The Panther tandem of Christina Puccinelli and Alexandra Fields tied the match at 1-1 with an 8-4 decision at #3 over Rebecca Pol and Avery Wagman. At #1, the Amherst duo of Sue Ghosh and Sarah Monteagudo needed extra play, but gave the Purple & White the edge headed to singles with a 9-8 (6) triumph over Ria Gerger and Lily Bondy.

The contest went back and forth during some exciting singles play. Amherst extended its lead to 3-1 with a 6-2, 6-4 victory from Wagman over Shackelford in the sixth flight. Gerger pulled Middlebury to within one (3-2) via a 7-5, 6-3 in the top spot over Ghosh, while Fields tied the match with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Ip in the #2 flight.

Jackie Calla was the next to finish, tallying Amherst's fourth point with a 6-3, 6-3 victory at #3 over Bondy. With the match hanging in the balance, the final two flights left on the court went to three sets. Molly Paradies posted a 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-0 win at #5 over Monteagudo, while Puccinelli clinched the match moments later with a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3) win over Chen in the fourth spot.