Chicago Women's Tennis Captures Eighth Regional Crown; Headed to NCAA Elite Eight

Chicago Women's Tennis Captures Eighth Regional Crown; Headed to NCAA Elite Eight

From University of Chicago Athletics

The University of Chicago women's tennis team clinched a spot in the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals for the eighth time in program history with Sunday's convincing 5-0 victory over Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The No. 10 Maroons (19-4) opened the day with a 1-2-3 sweep in doubles and then relied on first-year Claire Handa and sophomore Alyssa Rudin to win in straight sets at No. 1 and No. 5 singles to give UChicago the regional crown.

The Maroons will advance to Elite Eight in Claremont, Calif., to take on No. 1 Emory (15-4), who defeated Sewanee 5-0 Sunday, in a rematch of the 2018 University Athletic Association Championship.

"Doubles were key for us, as they have been all season," Head Coach Jay Tee said. "We came out a little nervous in singles, but we battled through it for a couple of quick wins.

"It's exciting to go back to the Elite Eight and to be able to play Emory again – the team is up for the challenge."

Handa and No. 1 doubles teammate Marjorie Antohi and the No. 2 duo of Catherine Xu and Daryn Ellison each won their matches by identical scores of 8-4 and the No. 3 tandem of Estefania Navarro and Rudin was even more dominant with an 8-3 victory.

That set up a 3-0 lead in singles play, as Handa won, 6-3, 6-3, and Rudin 6-2, 6-2, with Handa clinching the fifth point needed for the result.