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The NCAA News -- May 24, 1999

Tennis victory a first for Amherst

Steinberg leads Lady Jeffs to initial title while netting singles crown

Amherst won its first NCAA team championship in any sport, capturing the 1999 Division III Women's Tennis Championships by defeating conference rival Williams, 5-2, at the College of New Jersey May 10.

Amherst took the lead in the match by taking two of the three doubles matches. Williams tied the match at 2-2 when freshman Selma Kikic tallied a 6-1, 6-0 win over Amherst's Stephanie Fong at No. 3 singles. But Amherst senior Pamela Diamond clinched the title with her 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Lindsay Morehouse at No. 4 singles, which suspended play of the No. 5 and No. 6 singles matches.

The Lady Jeffs advanced to the championship match by defeating Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the first round, 8-1; UC San Diego, 6-3, in the quarterfinals; and Trinity (Texas), 5-4, in the semifinals.

Amherst finished the season with a perfect 20-0 record under head coach Jackie Bagwell. It was the Lady Jeffs' first appearance in the title match. Williams ended its season at 16-7. This was the Ephs' second trip to the final match, its last being a loss to UC San Diego in 1994.

Winning a team title was not enough for Lady Jeffs senior Neeley Steinberg. Steinberg also won the singles title with her 7-5, 6-2 victory over Jill Mazza of Rochester. Steinberg went undefeated for the season and posted a final record of 25-0 in singles play. Steinberg's individual title was the first individual championship for Amherst.

Steinberg advanced to the championship match by defeating Meghan Donley of Gustavus Adolphus, 6-3, 6-1, in the first round; Marina Prudniko-va of Beloit, 7-5, 6-4, in the second round; Maria Miller of Luther, 7-6 (3), 6-0, in the quarterfinals; and Smith's Kanta Murali, 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals.

Skidmore's Inke Noel combined with Lisa Powers to capture the doubles championship. Noel and Powers beat Lizzie Yasser and Lola Taylor of Trinity (Texas), 6-4, 6-3. The individual title was the second for the Thoroughbreds, the first coming last year when Jamie Levine won the singles championship.

Noel and Powers advanced to the championship match by defeating Mary Missbach and Sara Cameron of Sewanee (University of the South), 6-1, 6-1, in the first round; Blair Rubenstein and Rashidi Marshall of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the quarterfinals; and Mealanie Nakamura and K. Koskelin of MIT in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-2.

TEAM RESULTS

First round

Wash. & Lee 5, Kenyon 4; UC San Diego 7, Mary Washington 2; Amherst 8, Claremont-M-S 1; Skidmore 5, Emory 4; Sewanee 9, Col. of New Jersey 0; Williams 7, Luther 2.

Quarterfinals

Trinity (Tex.) 7, Wash. & Lee 2; Amherst 6, UC San Diego 3; Skidmore 5, Sewanee 4; Williams 5, Gust. Adolphus 4.

Semifinals

Amherst 5, Trinity (Tex.) 4; Williams 6, Skidmore 3.

Third place

Trinity (Tex.) 5, Skidmore 4

Doubles -- No. 1: Inke Noel-Lisa Powers, Skidmore, def. Lola Taylor-Lizzie Yasser, Trinity (Tex.), 9-7; No. 2: Christy Wussow-Amanda Browne, Trinity (Tex.), def. Amy Wachenheim-Alexia Karetzky, Skidmore, 8-5; No. 3: Lindsey Baldwin-Mara Berzins, Trinity (Tex.), def. Heather Wood-Jenny Slayton, Skidmore, 8-1.

Singles -- No. 1: Suspended; No. 2: Yasser, Trinity (Tex.), def. Noel, Skidmore, 6-1, 6-4; No. 3: Powers, Skidmore, def. Baldwin, Trinity (Tex.), 6-2, 6-2; No. 4: Wood, Skidmore, def. Wussow, Trinity (Tex.), 7-6 (4), 0-6, 6-3; No. 5: Berzins, Trinity (Tex.), def. Karetzky, Skidmore, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5); No. 6: Browne, Trinity (Tex.), def. Slayton, Skidmore, 6-0, 6-4.

Championship

Amherst 5, Williams 2

Doubles -- No. 1: Cornelia Steinberg-Pamela Diamond, Amherst, def. Jasmine Bradley-Selma Kikic, Williams, 8-4; No. 2: Jamie Cohen-Stephanie Fong, Amherst, def. Lindsay Morehouse-Daphne King, Williams, 9-8 (7); No. 3: Brooke Gibson-Alison Swain, Williams, def. Carolyn Pastel-Eleanor Mahoney, Amherst, 8-4.

Singles -- No. 1: Cohen, Amherst, def. Bradley, Williams, 6-1, 7-5; No. 2: Steinberg, Amherst, def. Gibson, Williams, 6-4, 6-3; No. 3: Kikic, Williams, def. Fong, Amherst, 6-1, 6-0; No. 4: Diamond, Amherst, def. Morehouse, Williams, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4; No. 5: Suspended; No. 6: Suspended.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Singles

First round: Jamie Cohen, Amherst, def. Caryn Cuthbert, Kenyon, 6-2, 6-3; Lizzie Yasser, Trinity (Tex.), def. Molly Cope, Wis.-Eau Claire, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-2; Mary Missbach, Sewanee, def. Erica Hanson, Gust. Adolphus, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3); Kirsten Olsen, UC San Diego, def. Wendy Floering, Denison, 6-3, 6-0; Leah Schmitt, Luther, def. Blair Rubenstein, Claremont-M-S, 6-0, 6-7 (1), 6-4; Jill Mazza, Rochester, def. Leah Morris, Mary Washington, 6-3, 6-2; Kasey Sweeney, Rhodes, def. Bridget Humphrey, Pomona-Pitzer, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; Amy Wachenheim, Skidmore, def. Julie Sterner, Emory, 6-3. 6-0; Mealanie Nakamura, MIT, def. Alexa Wilensky, Emory, 6-2, 6-1; Maria Miller, Luther, def. Lindsey Baldwin, Trinity (Tex.), 6-3, 7-5; Marina Prudnikova, Beloit, def. Lea Schon, Mary Washington, 6-3, 6-4; Neeley Steinberg, Amherst, def. Meghan Donley, Gust. Adolphus, 6-3, 6-1; Inke Noel, Skidmore, def. Erin Hockman, Kenyon, 6-4, 6-4; Kanta Murali, Smith, def. Maria Nguyen, UC San Diego, 6-4, 6-2; Keri Mills, Carnegie Mellon, def. Katie Abrams, Washington (Mo.), 6-4, 6-2; Jasmine Bradley, Williams, def. Brook Hartzell, Wash. & Lee, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0.

Second round: Cohen, Amherst, def. Yasser, Trinity (Tex.), 5-7, 7-5, 6-3; Olsen, UC San Diego, def. Missbach, Sewanee, 6-4, 6-4; Mazza, Rochester, def. Schmitt, Luther, 6-0, 5-7, 6-1; Wachenheim, Skidmore, def. Sweeney, Rhodes, 6-1, 7-5; Miller, Luther, def. Nakamura, MIT, 6-4, 6-4; Steinberg, Amherst, def. Prudnikova, Beloit, 7-5, 6-4; Murali, Smith, def. Noel, Skidmore, 6-3, 6-2; Bradley, Williams, def. Mills, Carnegie Mellon, 6-1, 6-0.

Quarterfinals: Cohen, Amherst, def. Olsen, UC San Diego, 6-1, 6-2; Mazza, Rochester, def. Wachenheim, Skidmore, 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2; Steinberg, Amherst, def. Miller, Luther, 7-6 (3), 6-0; Murali, Smith, def. Bradley, Williams, 6-2, 6-4.

Semifinals: Mazza, Rochester, def. Cohen, Amherst, 6-2, 6-4; Steinberg, Amherst, def. Murali, Smith, 6-3, 6-4.

Championship: Steinberg, Amherst, def. Mazza, Rochester, 7-5, 6-2.

Doubles

First round: Lola Taylor-Lizzie Yasser, Trinity (Tex.), def. Keri Mills-Elisabeth Brown, Carnegie Mellon, 6-3, 6-3; Erica Hanson-Megan Donley, Gust. Adolphus, def. Brooke Hartzell-Melissa Hartley, Wash. & Lee, 6-4, 6-2; Erin Hockman-Caryn Cuthbert, Kenyon, def. Kirsten Olsen-Lindsey Tadlock, UC San Diego, 6-4, 6-0; Sara Chase-Lea Morris, Mary Washington, def. Pamela Diamond-Neely Steinberg, Amherst,

6-4, 6-4; Jasmine Bradley-Selma Kikic, Williams, def. Laura Beduhn-Ellen Anderson, Gust. Adolphus, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2); Mealanie Nakamura-K. Koskelin, MIT, def. N. Chaturvedula-P. Vajani, Washington (Mo.), 6-1, 4-6, 7-5; Inke Noel-Lisa Powers, Skidmore, def. Mary Missbach-Sara Cameron, Sewanee, 6-1, 6-1; Blair Rubenstein-Rashidi Marshall, Claremont-M-S, def. Maria Miller-Leah Schmitt, Luther, 6-3, 6-3.

Quarterfinals: Taylor-Yasser, Trinity (Tex.), def. Hanson-Donley, Gust. Adolphus, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; Hockman-Cuthbert, Kenyon, def. Chase-Morris, Mary Washington, 6-4, 7-5; Nakamura-Koskelin, MIT, def. Bradley-Kikic, Williams, 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2); Noel-Powers, Skidmore, def. Rubenstein-Marshall, Claremont-M-S, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Semifinals: Taylor-Yasser, Trinity (Tex.), def. Hockman-Cuthbert, Kenyon, 7-6 (3), 6-3; Noel-Powers, Skidmore, def. Nakamura-Koskelin, MIT, 6-2, 6-2.

Championship: Noel-Powers, Skidmore, def. Yasser-Taylor, Trinity (Tex.), 6-4, 6-3.