In an all-West region final, Trinity (Texas) defeated UC San Diego, 5-4, at Gustavus Adolphus May 21 to give the Tigers their first Division III Women's Tennis Championship.

The victory was not an easy one for Trinity, though, because of the determined play of UC San Diego, which is in its last year as a Division III school and will enter Division II next season. The Tritons led, 2-1, after doubles play, thanks to the duos of Amy Tranckino-Lindsey Tadlock and Kristen Olsen-Rachel Gunther, who won 8-3 and 8-2, respectively.

In singles, Trinity's Lizzie Yasser downed Tranckino, 7-5, 6-4, at the No.1 spot. It was a sign of things to come. Lindsay Smith and Laura Cumming both had wins for Trinity, while Tadlock and Gunther garnered wins for the Tritons.

Tied 4-4, the title came down to the No. 5 singles match between UC San Diego's Melissa Liao and Trinity's Abbe Ulrich. Liao took the first set, 6-2, but Ulrich mounted a comeback and took the second set, 6-4. Ulrich carried that momentum into the third and deciding set to win, 6-1, and give her team the title.

Moments after clinching the title, Tigers coach Butch Newman and his players learned that Trinity's men's tennis team, which was competing for the national title at Kalamazoo, also won. For Newman, they were the first titles for either of his teams and therefore, double the excitement.

"This is something we've always wanted. At the start of every season, we shoot for the moon. This time, we landed," Newman said.

Yasser, who won all three of her singles matches during the course of the team championship, said, "It's an indescribable feeling. Nothing compares to what it felt like to win. And it was such a dramatic win, too."

In the third-place match, Washington and Lee defeated Amherst, 5-4, in a match that mirrored the championship. The Generals headed into singles with a 2-1 lead, singles play resulted in a 4-4 tie and the match came down to Washington and Lee's Erin Eggers beating Amherst's Steph Fong at No. 2 singles.

En route to the finals, UC San Diego defeated Amherst, 5-4, while Trinity earned a 5-4 decision over Washington and Lee.

The championship's singles competition produced a surprise as unseeded Selinda Geyer from Agnes Scott College upset No.1 seed Yasser in the first round. Geyer continued to down each opponent with relative ease until colliding with Amherst's Jamie Cohen in the final. There, Cohen earned a 6-3, 6-3 victory.

In doubles, Pomonoa Pitzer's Sheree Schwartz and Meghan Gould defeated Washington and Lee's Brook Hartzell and Melissa Hatley, 6-2, 6-1, for the title.

TEAM RESULTS

Quarterfinals

Amherst 7, Emory 2; UC San Diego 6, Gust. Adolphus 3; Wash. & Lee 6, Kenyon 3; Trinity (Tex.) 6, Williams 3.

Semifinals

UC San Diego 5, Amherst 4; Trinity (Tex.) 6, Wash. & Lee 3

Championship

Trinity (Tex.) 5, UC San Diego 4

Doubles: No. 1 -- Amy Tranckino-Lindsey Tadlock, UC San Diego, def. Lizzie Yasser-Amanda Browne, Trinity (Tex.), 8-3; No. 2 -- Laura Cumming-Abbe Ulrich, Trinity (Tex.), def. Yen Yen Ho-Melissa Liao, UC San Diego, 8-2; No. 3 -- Kristen Olsen-Rachel Gunther, UC San Diego, def. Lindsay Smith-Nadine Nitisusanta, Trinity (Tex.), 8-2.

Singles: No. 1 -- Yasser, Trinity (Tex.), def. Tranckino, UC San Diego, 7-5, 6-4; No. 2 -- Smith, Trinity (Tex.), def. Olsen, UC San Diego, 7-5, 6-4; No. 3 -- Cumming, Trinity (Tex.), def. Ho, UC San Diego, 6-3, 6-2; No. 4 -- Tadlock, UC San Diego, def. Browne, Trinity (Tex.), 6-1, 6-3; No. 5 -- Ulrich, Trinity (Tex.), def. Liao, UC San Diego, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1; No. 6 -- Gunther, UC San Diego, def. Nitisusanta, Trinity (Tex.), 6-4, 6-2.

Third place

Wash. & Lee 5, Amherst 4

Doubles: No. 1 -- Erin Eggers-Erika Proko, Wash. & Lee, def. Jamie Cohen-Paige Lawrence, Amherst, 8-1; No. 2 -- Heather Cole-Steph Fong, Amherst, def. Brook Hartzell-Melissa Hatley, Wash. & Lee, 8-3; No. 3 -- Laura Bruno-Sallie Gray Strang, Wash. & Lee, def. Suzanne Burke-Vas Kozoulina, Amherst, 8-5.

Singles: No. 1 -- Cohen, Amherst, def. Hartzell, Wash. & Lee, 6-2, 6-0; No. 2 -- Eggers, Wash. & Lee, def. Fong, Amherst, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4; No. 3 -- Burke, Amherst, def. Proko, Wash. & Lee, 6-2, 6-2; No. 4 -- Bruno, Wash. & Lee, def. Cole, Amherst, 7-5, 6-1; No. 5 -- Kozoulina, Amherst, def. Brandi Jane Wedgeworth, Wash. & Lee, 6-3, 6-3; No. 6 -- Hatley, Wash. & Lee, def. Carolyn Pastel, Amherst, 6-0, 6-4.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Singles

First round: Selinda Geyer, Agnes Scott, def. Lizzie Yasser, Trinity (Tex.), 7-5, 6-3; Emily Warburg, Emory, def. Haley Heathman, DePauw, 7-5, 7-6 (1); Jen Crombie, Col. of New Jersey, def. Sarah Jesse, Oberlin, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-2; Lea Schon, Mary Washington, def. Kathy North, Sewanee, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Caryn Cuthbert, Kenyon, def. Sheree Schwartz, Pomona-Pitzer, 6-3, 6-3; Brook Hartzell, Wash. & Lee, def. Maria Miller, Luther, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2; Meghan Donley, Gust. Adolphus, def. Steph Fong, Amherst, 7-6 (3), 6-2; Caroline Wasserman, Williams, def. Rebecca Dutton, Claremont-M-S, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2; Brooke Roeper, Kenyon, def.Kristin Janese, Cortland St., 6-2, 6-0; Lindsay Smith, Trinity (Tex.), def. Julie Sterner, Emory, 7-5, 6-4; Mealani Nakamura, MIT, def. Bridget Humphrey, Pomona-Pitzer, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3; Jamie Cohen, Amherst, def. Molly Cope, Wis.-Eau Claire, 6-1, 6-1; Karen Lui, Chicago, def. Sarah Marks, Williams, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; Jennifer Smith, Hope, def. Mary Missbach, Sewanee, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4; Erin Eggers, Wash. & Lee, def. Blair Rubenstein, Claremont-M-S, 6-1, 6-0; Amy Tranckino, UC San Diego, def. Ellen Anderson, Gust. Adolphus, 6-0, 7-6 (5).

Second round: Geyer, Agnes Scott, def. Warburg, Emory, 6-1, 6-2; Crombie, Col. of New Jersey, def. Schon, Mary Washington, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; Cuthbert, Kenyon, def. Hartzell, Wash. & Lee, 6-3, 6-2; Donley, Gust. Adolphus, def. Wasserman, Williams, 6-0, 7-6 (5); Smith, Trinity (Tex.), def. Roeper, Kenyon, 7-5, 7-5; Cohen, Amherst, def. Nakamura, MIT, 6-2, 6-0; Lui, Chicago, def. Smith, Hope, 6-3, 7-5; Tranckino, UC San Diego, def. Eggers, Wash. & Lee, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2.

Quarterfinals: Geyer, Agnes Scott, def. Crombie, Col. of New Jersey, 6-2, 6-1; Donley, Gust. Adolphus, def. Cuthbert, Kenyon, 6-3, 6-4; Cohen, Amherst, def. Smith, Trinity (Tex.), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; Tranckino, UC San Diego, def. Lui, Chicago, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Semifinals: Geyer, Agnes Scott, def. Donley, Gust. Adolphus, 6-2, 6-1; Cohen, Amherst, def. Tranckino, UC San Diego, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

Championship: Cohen, Amherst, def. Geyer, Agnes Scott, 6-3, 6-3.

Doubles

First round: Jen Crombie-Laura Faulkner, Col. of New Jersey, def. Lizzie Yasser-Amanda Browne, Trinity (Tex.), 6-3, 6-3; Sheree Schwartz-Meghan Gould, Pomona-Pitzer, def. Mealani Nakamura-Kelly Koskelin, MIT, 7-6 (1), 6-1; Jasmine Bradley-Selma Kikic, Williams, def. Caryn Cuthbert-Katy Tucker, Kenyon, 6-4, 7-5; Erika Proko-Erin Eggers, Wash. & Lee, def. Blair Rubenstein-Sheda Marshall, Claremont-M-S, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4; Kristin Donley-Megan Donley, Gust. Adolphus, def. Emily Warburg-Julie Sterner, Emory, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2; Amy Tranckino-Lindsay Tadlock, UC San Diego, def. Kristin Janese-Kristin Grosso, Cortland St., 6-3, 6-2; Brook Hartzell-Melissa Hatley, Wash. & Lee, def. Jackie Dutot-Andrea Muellner, Wis.-Eau Claire, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2; Paige Lawrence-Jaime Cohen, Amherst, def. Mary Missbach-Kathy North, Sewanee, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.

Quarterfinals: Schwartz-Gould, Pomona-Pitzer, def. Crombie-Faulkner, Col. of New Jersey, 6-3, 6-4; Proko-Eggers, Wash. & Lee, def. Bradley-Kikic, Williams, 6-3, 6-3; Tranckino-Tadlock, UC San Diego, def. Donley-Donley, Gust. Adolphus, 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-2; Hartzell-Hatley, Wash. & Lee, def. Lawrence-Cohen, Amherst, 6-4, 6-4.

Semifinals: Schwartz-Gould, Pomona-Pitzer, def. Proko-Eggers, Wash. & Lee, 6-1, 6-0; Hartzell-Hatley, Wash. & Lee, def. Tranckino-Tadlock, UC San Diego, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.

Championship: Schwartz-Gould, Pomona-Pitzer, def. Hartzell-Hatley, Wash. & Lee, 6-2, 6-1.