Women's Tennis Advances to the Elite 8

With a resouding 5-1 victory over SCIAC rival University of Redlands on Sunday, the Pomona-Pitzer women's tennis team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2009 NCAA Division III Women' Tennis Championships.

Despite capturing the regular season SCIAC crown, the top-seeded Sagehens lost a 5-4 match to Redlands in the conference championship match, setting the stage for Sunday's third-round showdown. Earlier in the weekend, Redlands defeated Chapman University, while Pomona-Pitzer knocked off the University of Texas-Tyler.

The Sagehens jumped out to a 2-1 lead after doubles, with the number one team of Olivia Muesse (PO, '10) and Siobhan Finicane (PO, '10) rolling to an 8-1 win, and the three doubles team of Lindsey Clough (PO, '09) and Nicole Holsted (PO, '12) capturing an 8-5 win.

In singles, Pomona-Pitzer got off to a quick start, capturing the first set in five of the six singles matches. Freshman Nicole Holsted was the first Sagehen off the court, after dispatching her opponent 6-1, 6-3. Fellow freshman Paige Wolstencroft was the next player to finish, with a 6-2, 6-3 win at number six singles. With four points on the board, and only one more match needed to clinch the win, Siobhan Finicane sealed the deal at number one singles with a 6-3, 6-2 win, vaulting Pomona-Pitzer into the elite 8 for the second year in a row.

The 2009 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships will take place at the Collins Hill Athletic Club in Atlanta, Georgia and are hosted by Oglethorpe University. Information regarding the tournament will be available here.