The Elizabethtown College women’s tennis team competed in the USTA-ITA Southeast Regional Championships at the University of Mary Washington this past weekend. The Championships were the last chance for the tennis team to compete this fall. They will begin their spring season on Feb. 15 back at the University of Mary Washington.
As for this weekend, the Blue Jays sent two singles players and one doubles pairing to the consolation finals of the regional tournament. Etown drew a few tough draws on Saturday, facing some of the best competition in the region. Unfortunately, the Jays were unable to get anyone through to the winner’s brackets, but the sophomore tandem of Erin Clay and Brooke Hillriegel, and singles players senior Sarah Calabro and first-year Katherine Jeffreys were able to play their way into the consolation finals.
Calabro defeated Catholic University’s Emma Needham 8-4 to advance to the final against Randolph-Macon player Kelsie Grice. Calabro earned two consolation byes after playing in the Blue 1 Singles draw, but her final match went unplayed.
Like Calabro, Jeffreys worked her way into the consolation final after defeating Swarthmore College’s Rachel Bronkema 8-3 in the first round of the Blue 3 Singles consolation bracket. Jeffreys went on to defeat Juniata College’s Katharine Conklin in the semifinals before her finals match against Salisbury University’s Megan Soderlund went unplayed.
Clay and Hillriegel joined their teammates in the consolation finals in the Blue 3 Doubles bracket. The pair defeated Muhlenberg College’s Jenny Levenson and Ashlee Ludwig, 8-3, in Sunday’s opening match. After a quarterfinal bye and a walk over in the semifinals, they reached the finals against St. Mary’s (Md.) Chelsea English and Anna Passaniti. Like their teammates’ finals matches, their match went unplayed.
Three Blue Jays won their opening singles consolation matches but fell in the consolation semifinals. Sophomore Madison McCall defeated Baldwin Wallace University’s Whitney Cash 8-3 in her opening match. Clay defeated Shenandoah University’s Jeanella Williams 8-5, and Hillriegel beat Hollin University’s Madeline Perry 8-2.
Etown had two other doubles pairs win their opening round consolation matches. Calabro and sophomore Taylor Helsel defeated Baldwin Wallace’s Cash and Ashley Price 8-5. Jeffreys and McCall beat Moravian College’s tandem Skylar Oliwa and Sophia Osourne 8-2.
