ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – The second-seeded Brandeis University women's tennis team dropped their semifinal match at the 2019 University Athletic Association tournament today, as the eighth-ranked Judges lost 5-0 to third-seeded University of Chicago.
The Maroons, ranked 12th in the most recent ITA Division III poll, got off to a fast start with a doubles sweep. They won 8-4 at each of the top two spots. At #3, the Brandeis tandem of senior Sophia He (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Spackenkill) and rookie Ana Hatfield (Rockford, Ill. / Boylan Central Catholic) rallied against Lauren Park and Nicole Semenov to force a tiebreaker, but ultimately fell, 8-7 (7-3).
In singles action, Chicago closed out the match with quick wins at #3 and #6. At #3, Park defeated Brandeis senior Keren Khromchenko (Manalapan, N.J./Academy of Allied Health and Science), 6-0, 6-2, and at #6, He fell to Annika Pandey, 6-1, 6-1. The Judges' lone first set was won by junior Diana Dehterevich (Minsk, Belarus/Secondary School #185 of Minsk) at #1, who was ahead 6-3, 3-3, when the match ended.
The Judges (12-6) will look to close out their regular season on a high note and bolster their chances at an NCAA Tournament berth in tomorrow's UAA third-place match against fourth-seeded and 11th-ranked Carnegie Mellon at 8:30 a.m.