From Carnegie Mellon University Athletics

The seventh-ranked Carnegie Mellon University women's tennis team advanced to its fourth straight ITA National Team Indoor Championship match with a 5-4 win against eighth-ranked Washington University in St. Louis on Saturday, February 28. The Tartans are now 7-1 on the season.

After trailing 1-0 in doubles, sophomore Vanessa Pavia (Thornwood, N.Y./Academy of our Lady of Good Counsel) and freshman Stacy Chang (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) tied the match at 1-1 with an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles. At No. 1 doubles, senior Bryn Raschke (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) and freshman Cori Sidell (Redwood Shores, Calif./Carlmont) forced a tiebreaker and won out, 9-8(9-7), to take the point and give the Tartans the 2-1 lead heading into singles play.

The win by Raschke and Sidell was nearly identical to their win in the same spot in the first round against Washington and Lee University. The pair led 7-4, lost four straight games, and then forced the tiebreaker before going on to the win.

Sophomore Nicholle Torres (Weston, Fla./Great Neck South) put the Tartans ahead 3-1 with a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles before the Bears pulled out two three-set matches at No. 1 and No. 2 singles over Pavia and senior Angela Pratt (Saratoga, Calif./St. Francis) to tie the score at 3-3.

Just as junior Brooke Tsu (Hillsborough, Calif./Burlingame) won at No. 5 singles, 6-1, 6-1, Sidell dropped a tight three-set match 6-1, 4-6, 3-6 at No. 4 singles, leaving the score knotted at 4-4 with Chang leading by one set at sixth singles.

Chang dropped the second set by way of the tiebreaker but responded in a big way, winning the third set 6-0 to clinch the match.