Kang Clinches Victory with Win at No. 6 Singles
CHESTERTOWN, Md. -- The Washington College women's tennis team advanced to the championship match of the Centennial Conference Tournament with a 6-1 semifinal win over visiting Franklin & Marshall this afternoon at Schottland Tennis Center. The Shorewomen, who are ranked 10th in the Atlantic South region, improved to 15-2 with the win, while Diplomats, ranked 11th in the region, close out their season at 12-5.
The Shorewomen won two of the three doubles matches to take a 2-1 lead. Juniors Marielle McIntyre (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) and April Weaver (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) bested Caitlin Rummelsburg and Sara Haas, 8-4, at No. 1 before F&M evened the score as Tara Buchney and Emily Gruenberg won the final five games of their 8-6 win at No. 3 against junior Blair Kang (Gangnam, South Korea/Westhill [Conn.]) and freshman Rachel Martinez (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula). Freshmen Krista Filiopoulos (Millersville, Md./Annapolis Area Christian) and Julie Lazer (Owings Mills, Md./McDonogh School) put Washington ahead with their 8-5 win over Megan FitzMaurice and Dana Sleeper at No. 2.
Weaver, ranked 25th in the region in singles, extended the Shorewomen's lead to 3-1 with her 6-4, 6-1, victory over Rummelsburg at No. 1 singles. McIntyre pulled Washington to within a point of the win with her 6-3, 6-1, defeat of Haas at No. 2. Kang clinched the victory for the Shorewomen when she completed her 6-0, 2-6, 6-1, win against Allysan Breece at No. 6. While the match was being played to decision by conference tournament rule, Martinez was playing her match winning point and finished her 6-1, 6-1, win against FitzMaurice at No. 4 seconds after Kang's win to add on Washington's sixth point and improve to 16-0 in singles this spring. Lazer was up a set and tied with Buchney at 4-4 at No. 3 and Filiopolous led Gruenberg, 5-0, in the third set at No. 5 when the match stopped.
The Shorewomen will play the winner of today's other semifinal match, between nationally-ranked defending champion and top seed Johns Hopkins and fourth seed Haverford, in tomorrow's championship match. The championship match will be held at Johns Hopkins tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.
