3 Women Named All NCAC!

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Junior Carolyn Shetter along with freshmen Sloane Prince and Tiffany Kollah capped their successful seasons for the Blue and Gold with spots on the All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) team, announced on Thursday by the conference office.

Shetter picked up her third All-NCAC singles honor after posting a 16-8 record during the 2012-13 season, including a 14-5 mark in top-flight singles. The junior earned Allegheny Female Athlete of the Week honors on Mar. 25, helping the Gators to a 2-1 spring training record, also collecting NCAC Athlete of the Week plaudits.

Freshman Sloane Prince and Shetter earned second-team doubles honors after finishing the season at top-flight doubles with a 14-4 record. In the spring, Prince and Shetter won eight straight matches to earn a No. 15 Division III Central Region ranking by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

Kollah opened the season in the top-flight spot, finishing the season with a 13-8 overall record and 9-2 record in second-flight matches this spring to earn honorable mention singles honors. Kollah also earned an Athlete of the Week selection in the spring after helping pace the Gators to an 8-1 win over Washington & Jefferson on Mar. 9.

Women Finish with Sweep Over Ohio Wesleyan!

OBERLIN, Ohio – Allegheny concluded the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) tournament with a fifth place finish courtesy of a 5-0 win over Wooster on Sunday morning at the Don Hunsinger courts.

The top-flight doubles pair of junior Carolyn Shetter and freshman Sloane Prince pushed the Gators to a sweep in doubles with an 8-1 win to finish the tournament with a 2-1 record and a 12-4 record in the spring.

The second-flight team of junior Laura Steele and freshman Andrea Brush won, 8-6 to finish the season winning five of their last eight decisions. The all-freshman pair of Sun Mo Koo and Tiffany Kollah won, 8-3.

Prince finished the tournament with a 6-1, 6-0 win in third-flight singles. Brush completed the scoring for the Gators with a 6-0, 6-0 win in No. 6 singles, winning her second straight match for the Gators

Women Sweep Ohio Wesleyan at NCACs!

OBERLIN, Ohio – The Gators rebounded from a first round loss by upending the No. 8 seeded Ohio Wesleyan Batting Bishops, 5-0, in the second round of the 2013 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) tennis tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Don Hunsinger Courts.

Allegheny swept the doubles matches, sparked by an 8-0 win by the No. 3 pairing of freshmen Sun Mo Koo and Tiffany Kollah. The top-flight team of junior Carolyn Shetter and freshman Sloane Prince along with the No. 2 pairing of junior Laura Steele and freshman Andrea Brush won 8-6 decisions in their respective matches.

Koo dominated her No. 4 singles match, earning a 6-0, 6-0 win. Brush also picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win in No. 6 singles.

The Gators will conclude their NCAC Tournament schedule on Sunday, Apr. 28 at 9 a.m. against Wooster.

Allegheny Women Beat Div. II Clarion 8-1

MEADVILLE, Pa. – Led by another impressive sweep in doubles matches, the Gators upended their second NCAA Division II opponent of the season, defeating Clarion, 8-1, on Apr. 4 at the Robertson Tennis Complex.

Following a 9-0 win over Millersville on Mar.17, the Gators were sparked by a comeback, 9-7 win from the No. 2 doubles team of junior Laura Steele and freshman Andrea Brush. Down 3-0, the Allegheny doubles team came storming back to take the tightly contested decision.

Junior Carolyn Shetter and freshman Sloane Prince won their third straight doubles match, 8-1. Freshmen Tiffany Kollah and Sun Mo Koo completed the sweep with an 8-0 win in No. 3 doubles.

Shetter maintained her strong start to the spring, winning top-flight singles, 6-0, 6-3. The junior is undefeated during the spring and has won three of her five singles matches in straight sets.

Four Gators won their singles matches in straight sets, as Kollah, Prince and Koo had strong performances in their individual match-ups. Steele won a 10-5 tie-breaker decision, coming back from a first-set loss for her second consecutive singles victory.

Allegheny will re-take the court on Saturday at the Robertson Tennis Complex against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opponent Ohio Wesleyan.

Shetter's Singles Sweep Earns NCAC Honor

CAC Women's Tennis Release - Mar. 25

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Junior Carolyn Shetter earned North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Player of the Week honors on Monday after sweeping Allegheny's top-flight singles matches during spring training.

Shetter led off her spring training with a 7-6 (5-3), 6-0 win over the top singles player from Division II Millersville.  After straight set wins against Centre and Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Shetter capped her spring training with a comeback win over Macalester, 1-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3).

Paired with freshman Sloane Prince, the junior finished spring training with a 3-1 record in pairs matches.

The Gators will return to the Robertson Tennis Complex to take on Clarion on Apr. 4.

Women Finish Spring Trip with 2nd Sweep of the Week!

Results

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Junior Carolyn Shetter finished spring training undefeated, winning in both singles and doubles matches to help the Gators to a 9-0 sweep over Macalester in the squad's final spring training match on Friday afternoon.

Shetter won the first set 6-1, but lost the second set, 6-4. She would rebound to take the tie-breaker, 10-4, to record her fourth singles victory of spring training. The junior, paired with freshman Sloane Prince, won an 8-2 decision in top-flight singles.

Freshman Tiffany Kollah controlled her second-flight singles match, taking a 6-1, 6-2 decision. Prince played to a 7-5, 6-3 victory in no. 3 singles. Freshmen Sun Mo Koo, Mikaela Pope and junior Laura Steele also picked up wins.

Steele, paired with Brush, won a 9-8 (7-5) match in second-flight doubles. Freshmen Miranda Hall and Jabilayh Asante picked up an 8-5 win in no. 3 doubles.

The Gators return to the Robertson Tennis Complex on Mar. 30 to take on Case Western Reserve.

Women Beat Centre for 4th Straight Win!

Results

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – A 4-2 record in singles matches proved enough to push the Allegheny women's tennis squad past Centre, 5-4, on Tuesday afternoon.

The Gators, ranked No. 20 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Region, were led by junior Carolyn Shetter set the stage early by picking up a 6-1, 6-4 win in top-flight singles to keep the Gators in front.

Freshman Sloane Prince won a 6-3, 6-3 decision as fellow first year Mikaela Pope scored for the Gators with a 6-3, 6-1 victory.  Junior Laura Steele used a 6-3, 7-5 win to close Allegheny's singles schedule.

The doubles team of freshman Tiffany Kollah and Kathleen McBride picked up a win in third-flight singles, taking an 8-4 decision.

Allegheny will re-take the courts on Thursday, Mar. 21 against Wisconsin Eau-Claire.

Women Shut Out Div. II Millersville!

Results

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Junior Carolyn Shetter won top-flight singles and was a member of the winning no. 1 doubles team to help the Gators a sweep over Division II Millersville to kick off their spring training trip on Sunday afternoon.

Shetter, fueled by a 5-3, tiebreaker win in the first set, swept the second set, 6-0, to win her singles match.  Freshman Sloane Prince came back from losing the first set, rebounding with a 6-0, second set win before taking the match with a 10-7, third set victory.  First year Sun Mo Koo registered a 6-0, 6-0 win en route to a win in no. 4 singles.

Freshman Tiffany Kollah, the reigning Allegheny Female Athlete of the Week, took a 6-2, 6-1 decision in the no. 2 singles spot.

In doubles, the top-flight team of Prince and Shetter defeated the no. 1 doubles team from Millersville, 8-2, to lead the sweep in pairs matches.  Junior Laura Steele and freshman Andrea Brush won their match in second-flight doubles, 8-1 and the no. 3 doubles team of Koo and Kollah posted an 8-3 win.

Community Service Weekend

Both teams did their annual weekend of community service this year by participating in Make a Difference Day on Saturday and hosting their Free Tennis Clinic on Sunday. They painted an entire house on Saturday in 6 hours and then taught kids from ages 5-12 in Crawford County the great sport of tennis on Sunday!

Women Compete at Oberlin Invite

The women had a good showing at the Oberlin Invite September 14-16. They travel to Virginia this weekend for the ITA Tournament at Mary Washington.

Gators Beat Kalamazoo

Oberlin, Ohio – The Allegheny women's tennis team traveled to Oberlin College on Friday morning to take part in day one of the two day Oberlin Shootout. The Gators started the day strong by defeating the 21st ranked team in the central region, downing Kalamazoo 6-3.

The opening match against Kalamazoo provided some very dramatic moments, none more so then the number two doubles match between the pairings of Janna Dickerson/Elyse Schmitt and Kelsey Moran/Olivia Bouchard.

The Yellow Jackets took a commanding 7-4 lead when the Gators started to climb back in it. Dickerson and Schmitt came all the way back to tie it at 8 and send the match into a tiebreaker, only to see Moran and Bouchard earn match point on three separate occasions. Allegheny completed the comeback in amazing fashion, claiming the tiebreak 10-8 for a 9-8 win.

The win helped the Gators sweep the doubles competition en route to a 6-3 victory. Steele, Schmitt and Deborah Landau would provide the wins during individual play as regionally ranked No. 25 Allegheny improved to 7-5 on the season.

Allegheny Completes Spring Trip with Strong Win Over Smith College

3/22/2012 10:18:00 PM
HILTON HEAD, S.C. – The Allegheny women's tennis team finished their 2012 spring trip on a high note Thursday morning, as they dominated the Pioneers of Smith College 8-1.

The Gators swept the doubles competition, with both number one doubles and number two doubles cruising to victories. The number three doubles team of Laura Steele and Kathleen McBride found themselves in a battle against Julia Signell and Allie Ryan, beating them by the slimmest of margins 9-7.

Allegheny would come as close to sweeping the singles competition as possible, taking five of six from the Pioneers. Carolyn Shetter cruised in number one singles 6-0, 6-0 and Elyse Schmitt had no problems in the number five singles 6-2, 6-1.

Laura Steele took care of Bayla Weick 6-2, 7-5 in number four singles, while both Janna Dickerson and Courtney O'Brien came away victorious in super-tiebreakers in number three and number six singles respectively.

The win improves the Gators to 6-5 on the season as they will be off until April 6 when they will take part in the Oberlin Shootout in Oberlin, Ohio.

Allegheny 8, Smith 1
Mar 22, 2012 at Hilton Head, S.C. (Hilton Head Beech and Tennis Resort)

Singles competition

1. Carolyn Shetter (ALLW) def. Gianna Teague (SMI) 6-0, 6-0

2. Jordan Dubin (SMI) def. Deborah Landau (ALLW) 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 11-9

3. Janna Dickerson (ALLW) def. Jaimi Inskeep (SMI) 6-4, 1-6, 10-7

4. Laura Steele (ALLW) def. Bayla Weick (SMI) 6-2, 7-5

5. Elyse Schmitt (ALLW) def. Clair Oblamski (SMI) 6-2, 6-1

6. Cortney O'Brien (ALLW) def. Grace McKay-Corkum (SMI) 6-1, 5-7, 10-6

Doubles competition

1. Carolyn Shetter/Deborah Landau (ALLW) def. Gianna Teague/Clair Oblamski (SMI) 8-4

2. Elyse Schmitt/Janna Dickerson (ALLW) def. Jaimi Inskeep/Jordan Dubin (SMI) 8-3

3. Laura Steele/Kathleen McBride (ALLW) def. Julia Signell/Allie Ryan (SMI) 9-7

Match Notes

Smith 4-9

Allegheny 6-5; Regional ranking #25

Allegheny Dominates St. Thomas in Non-Conference Action

3/20/2012 5:51:00 PM

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – The Allegheny women's tennis team took on the Tommies of St. Thomas Tuesday morning, cruising to a 7-2 win.

Allegheny jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the doubles competition, getting wins from their number one and three pairs. In the number one slot Carolyn Shetter and Deborah Landau defeated the pairing of Mary Allen and Rachel Wright 8-6. In number three doubles, Laura Steele and Kathleen McBride had a relatively easy time dispatching Clair Elkins and Kristen Haukoos 8-3.

The Gators continued their dominance in the singles portion, taking five of a possible six points.

Carolyn Shetter cruised in number one singles against Mary Allen 6-1, 6-0. Landau followed suite in number two singles, conquering Rachel Wright 6-2, 6-1.

Janna Dickerson won a battle in her number four singles match against Brittany Alexander, splitting the first two sets and taking the super-tiebreak for the win. Elyse Schmitt easily beat Anna Wright 6-1, 6-1 in number five singles. And in the number six singles position, Cortney O'Brien won the first set 6-4 against Kaitlyn Israel, and then dropped set two 1-6. It came down to a super-tiebreak, and O'Brien outlasted Israel 10-4.

The win improves Allegheny to 5-5 overall, and 2-1 on their spring trip. The Gators will have Wednesday off, and finish their spring trip on Thursday when they will face Smith College at 8:00 a.m.

Allegheny 7, St. Thomas Women 2
Mar 20, 2012 at Hilton Head, S.C. (Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort)

Singles competition

1. Carolyn Shetter (ALLW) def. Mary Allen (UST) 6-1, 6-0

2. Deborah Landau (ALLW) def. Rachel Wright (UST) 6-2, 6-1

3. Kara Lefsrud (UST) def. Laura Steele (ALLW) 6-0, 6-4

4. Janna Dickerson (ALLW) def. Brittany Alexander (UST) 3-6, 6-1, 10-3

5. Elyse Schmitt (ALLW) def. Anna Wright (UST) 6-1, 6-1

6. Cortney O'Brien (ALLW) def. Kaitlyn Israel (UST) 6-4, 1-6, 10-4

Doubles competition

1. Carolyn Shetter/Deborah Landau (ALLW) def. Mary Allen/Rachel Wright (UST) 8-6

2. Kara Lefsrud/Brittany Alexander (UST) def. Elyse Schmitt/Janna Dickerson (ALLW) 8-1

3. Laura Steele/Kathleen McBride (ALLW) def. Clair Elkins/Kirsten Haukoos (UST) 8-3

Match Notes

St. Thomas Women 5-1

Allegheny 5-5; Regional ranking #25

Allegheny Takes Down Wisconsin Eau-Claire in Top 25 Regional Battle

3/18/2012 10:34:00 PM

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – The Allegheny women's tennis team played their first match of their annual spring break trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and defeated the Bulldogs of Wisconsin Eau-Claire 5-4.

The number one pairing of Carolyn Shetter and Debroah Landau, and number two pairing of Janna Dickerson and Elyse Schmitt both won their doubles matches, giving Allegheny a 2-1 lead going into the singles matches. Shetter and Landau pulled out a close victory over Taylor Heltne and Katie Gillman, prevailing in a tiebreak 9-8 (5).

The Bulldogs would mount a comeback; however, Shetter would defeat Heltne in the number one singles slot to tie things up at four. The match would come down to the number two singles, as Deborah Landau and Gretchen Bachmeier would put on a show for the final point. Landau would take the first set 6-4, and in dramatic fashion take set number two 7-6 (5) in a tiebreak.

The win improves Allegheny to 4-4, and they will be back at it tomorrow when they will face Carleton at 12:00 pm.

Allegheny 5, UW-Eau Claire 4
Mar 18, 2012 at Hilton Head, S.C. (Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort)

Singles competition

1. Carolyn Shetter (ALLW) def. Taylor Heltne (UWEC) 6-1, 7-5

2. Deborah Landau (ALLW) def. Gretchen Bachmeier (UWEC) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)

3. Katie Gillman (UWEC) def. Laura Steele (ALLW) 6-2, 6-0

4. Janna Dickerson (ALLW) def. Maddie Johnson (UWEC) 3-6, 6-2, 10-3

5. Renee Nelson (UWEC) def. Elyse Schmitt (ALLW) 5-7, 6-4, 10-8

6. Lexi DeMario (UWEC) def. Cortney O'Brien (ALLW) 6-0, 6-3

Doubles competition

1. Carolyn Shetter/Deborah Landau (ALLW) def. Taylor Heltne/Katie Gillman (UWEC) 9-8 (7-5)

2. Janna Dickerson/Elyse Schmitt (ALLW) def. Gretchen Bachmeier/Maddie Johnson (UWEC) 8-5

3. Lexi DeMario/Mary Frassetto (UWEC) def. Laura Steele/Kathleen McBride (ALLW) 8-4

Allegheny Wins Nail Biter at Grove City

GROVE CITY, Pa. - The 24 time defending PAC champion Wolverines gave Allegheny everything it could handle, but the Gators came out victorious with a 5-4 win over Grove City.

Allegheny would get off to a solid start, getting victories from their number one and number three doubles, putting themselves up 2-1 going into singles play. However, when the first two results of singles play came in, Allegheny suddenly found them in a 3-2 hole.

The Gators would battle back, with thrilling three set victories from seniors Deborah Landau and Elyse Schmitt.

Allegheny finally clinched the match when sophomore Kathleen McBride defeated Emily Buurma 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to improve the Gators to 2-2 on the 2011 season.

Allegheny will be off until mid-February when they will travel to Pennbriar Athletic Club in Erie, Pa. to battle non-conference foe John Carroll on February 12.

Allegheny 5, Grove City 4
Oct 05, 2011 at Grove City, Pa. (Grove City College Courts)

Singles competition
1. Stacy Moon (GRO) def. Carolyn Shetter (ALLW) 6-2, 6-3
2. Deborah Landau (ALLW) def. Megan Bennett (GRO) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
3. Elyse Schmitt (ALLW) def. Christina Bedi (GRO) 6-3, 6-7, 6-3
4. Reena Barnett (GRO) def. Laura Steele (ALLW) 6-2, 6-3
5. Caroline McGuire (GRO) def. Janna Dickerson (ALLW) 6-2, 7-5
6. Kathleen McBride (ALLW) def. Emily Buurma (GRO) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

Doubles competition
1. Carolyn Shetter/Deborah Landau (ALLW) def. Stacy Moon/Megan Bennett (GRO) 8-6
2. Reena Barnett/Caroline McGuire (GRO) def. Janna Dickerson/Elyse Schmitt (ALLW) 8-4
3. Laura Steele/Kathleen McBride (ALLW) def. Christina Bedi/Lauren Troxel (GRO) 8-3

Gators End Well at ITA Tournament

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Allegheny traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan this weekend to compete in the ITA Regional Championships. The tournament was split into two draws; Carolyn Shetter, Elyse Schmitt, Laura Steele, and Debroah Landau were selected in the main draw, while Kathleen McBride was chosen in the Kalamazoo draw.

Day one, on Friday, September 30, was a tough start for Allegheny. Shetter would win her first singles match in the main draw, but that would be the only highlight of the day as the Gators struggled to get their footing.

Day two, on Saturday, saw Allegheny turn a complete 360. After dropping their first matches, the Gators were put in the consolation bracket of each draw respectively.

In the main draw singles consolation, Landau would defeat Whitney Lewis of Ozarks 6-0, 6-0, and Finley Gates of Oberlin 6-1, 4-6, 10-7, to advance to the quarter-final round. Landau would battle tough against Jordan Leslie of Ohio Wesleyan, but would fall just short 7-5, 2-6, 9-11.

In doubles consolation, the pairings of Schmitt/Steele and Landau/Shetter would both win their first round matches. While Schmitt and Steele were eliminated in the quarters, Landau and Shetter advanced all the way to the final, defeating Christie Gales and Michelle Tuma of Ohio Northern, 9-7, to take home the consolation doubles championship.

Meanwhile, in the Kalamazoo singles consolation, McBride would advance to the quarter-finals as well, defeating Becky Simon of Ohio Wesleyan, and Ellen Stein of Kenyon. Being the only Gator in the Kalamazoo draw, McBride was paired with Aarthi Kasilingam of Washington University for doubles play. After a tough loss on the first day, the pairing would get hot on day two, advancing all the way to the consolation final.

Gators Fare Well Against Nations Best at Oberlin Invitational

9/19/2011 11:02:00 AM
Final Results from Oberlin InvitationalOberlin Invitational Box ScoreOBERLIN, Ohio - The Allegheny women's tennis squad traveled to Oberlin this past weekend, to take part in the Oberlin Invitational presented my Marriot. With an impressive field that featured two nationally ranked division III teams from a year ago (Denison; Washington and Lee), and one nationally ranked division II team from last year (California University of Pennsylvania), the Gators would look to defeat some of the best talent in the country. The opening day would set a good tone for the weekend as Allegheny would win four of its six singles matches, with victories by Carolyn Shetter, Janna Dickerson, Elyse Schmitt, and Laura Steele. The Gators would not fare as well in doubles on Friday, with its only victory coming from the pair of Dickerson and Schmitt. Allegheny ended day one 5-4 overall, with two of the four losses coming to previously mentioned Cal U. Day two was a reversal of fortunes for the Gators, as Laura Steele picked up Allegheny's only singles victory of the day in straight sets. Deborah Landau and Kathleen McBride would both take their matches the distance, with each falling 6-2 in the third set. Two of the other three singles matches would see Elyse Schmitt and Carolyn Shetter facing tough opponents from Denison and Cal U respectively. Doubles brought a bright end to the second day of competition, as Allegheny would go 4-2, with victories coming from the pairings of Shetter/Landau, Dickerson/Schmitt, and two from Steele/McBride. The third and final day saw Allegheny participating in only singles matches, as they would bounce back and end the weekend like they started, going 4-2 with impressive victories from Dickerson, Schmitt, Steele, and McBride. All four won their matches in straight sets and no set would get closer than 6-4. The Gators would end the weekend with an overall record of 14-13, going 9-9 in singles play and 5-4 in doubles competition. Steele would lead the way for Allegheny, going undefeated (3-0) in singles play, and 2-1 with her doubles partner McBride. Not far behind were Schmitt and Dickerson who both went 2-1 in singles, and combined to go 2-1 in doubles play. The Gators will get a week break from competition, as they will travel to face division I Robert Morris on Tuesday, September 27.

Allegheny Handles Penn State-Behrend on Rain Shortened Day

MEADVILLE, Pa. - The Allegheny women's tennis squad swept the Lions of Penn State-Behrend 9-0 on a rain shortened day inside the Wise Center. What was supposed to be the first match of the Nancy J. Heath Invitational ended up being the only match each team would play, as the impending threat of rain forced Baldwin-Wallace and Wlash to back out.

The change did not seem to affect the Gators as Carolyn Shetter, Deb Landau, Elyse Schmitt, Janna Dickerson, Laura Steele, and Kathleen McBride all won their singles matches quite handley. Allegheny also breezed through their doubles matches, only dropping a combined four games in the three matches.

The win gives the Gators a 1-0 start, as they will have to wait until Tuesday to play again against Mercyhurst at the Robertson Complex. Allegheny was scheduled to play John Carroll tomorrow, but the forecast has forced that match to be postponed for later in the season. Stay tuned to alleghenysports.com for the latest on all the postponed matches from this weekend.

Allegheny 9, Penn State Behrend 0
Sep 10, 2011 at Meadville, Pa. (Wise Center)

Singles competition

1. Carolyn Shetter (ALL) def. Arica Christman (BEHW) 6-0, 6-4

2. Deborah Landau (ALL) def. Leslie Durante (BEHW) 6-1, 7-5

3. Elyse Schmitt (ALL) def. Allison Quigley (BEHW) 6-1, 6-3

4. Janna Dickerson (ALL) def. Jade Buhite (BEHW) 6-1, 6-0

5. Laura Steele (ALL) def. Rachel Harris (BEHW) 6-1, 6-3

6. Kathleen McBride (ALL) def. Megan Nochese (BEHW) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles competition

1. Carolyn Shetter/Deborah Landau (ALL) def. Arica Christman/Leslie Durante (BEHW) 8-2

2. Elyse Schmitt/Janna Dickerson (ALL) def. Jade Buhite/Allison Quigley (BEHW) 8-1

3. Laura Steele/Kathleen McBride (ALL) def. Megan Nochese/Rachel Harris (BEHW) 8-1

Match Notes

Penn State Behrend 3-1

Allegheny 1-0

Five Women's Tennis Players Net All-NCAC Honors

5/10/2011

Conference Release

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Posting the highest single-season winning percentage (.591) since the 2001-02 season, the Allegheny women's tennis team enjoyed an eight-win turnaround from a year ago, a third-place finish in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) for the first time since the 1998-99 season, and earned their first regional ranking under head coach Jared Luteran. In light of the successful year, a program-first came out of the selection of All-NCAC teams as five women's tennis players earned All-NCAC recognition.

Three players, headlined by rookie Carolyn Shetter, were named to All-NCAC teams as singles players, while a pair of doubles teams garnered All-NCAC selections, including first-time doubles recipients Deborah Landau and Elyse Schmitt.

Shetter, who played at flight one singles throughout the entire fall and spring seasons, was selected to the All-NCAC First Team, and becomes the sixth women's tennis player to make the First Team. On the year, Shetter finished 12-10 in singles play with a 10-10 mark in dual matches, and was a perfect 2-0 in tournament play.

Senior Lauren Kristofco earned her fourth All-NCAC honor as a singles player, making her the first four-time All-NCAC singles performer in Allegheny women's tennis history. This year, Kristofco was named to the All-NCAC Second Team after finishing 5-7 in flight two singles play, and was 2-3 in conference play as well.

Rounding out singles honors is senior Sara Longo. Longo makes her second consecutive All-NCAC Honorable Mention Team after playing most of the year at flight three singles, and posting an overall record of 11-11. In her time at flight three singles, Longo compiled a record of 8-6, and ended the season on a four-match winning streak.

For the third time in the past four years, Kristofco and Longo earn all-conference recognition as a doubles paring. In 07-08, and 08-09, the pair landed on the All-NCAC Doubles Second Team. This season, the final one at Allegheny for both, they were named to the All-NCAC Doubles First Team. Paired up the entire spring season at flight one doubles, Kristofco and Longo tallied a doubles record of 11-5 overall, and were 4-2 in conference play.

Landau and Schmitt were named to the All-NCAC Doubles Second Team for the first time as a pairing after they competed across flights two and three in doubles play this season, and put together an impressive 10-3 overall mark. Like Kristofco and Longo, Landau and Schmitt were 4-2 in conference play.

Women's Tennis Outlasts Oberlin for Third-Place in Epic Duel of NCAC Tournament

5/2/2011

Box Scores: Denison -- Oberlin

OBERLIN, Ohio – For the first time since the 1998-99 season, the Allegheny women's tennis team earned a third-place finish at the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament. A victory in their opening match against Wittenberg University on Saturday ensured that the Gators (13-9, 2-4 NCAC) would finish in the top-four for the fourth consecutive year. On Sunday, the Gators dropped their first match of the day to nationally-ranked Denison University, 5-0, placing them in the third-place match against a familiar foe in Oberlin College for the fourth consecutive year as well.

The match against Oberlin for third-place in the conference began just after 5:00 p.m., and it was not until nearly five full hours until the match was decided.

Playing doubles on outdoor courts, the Gators jumped out to a big lead through the opening doubles play as they swept all three matches. Needing just two wins out of the remaining six singles matches, rain forced the completion of the match to be moved indoors.

The change of venue for singles play would be when Oberlin would make their run as they rattled off four straight-sets wins to eventually knot the match at four-all, and set up the thrilling decisive match.

Prior to the final match, at flight three singles, Sara Longo notched one of the two victories the Gators needed to clinch the match. Longo's win was a complete role reversal after she lost in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1, to the same opponent, Preeya Shah, a little over a week ago. This time, Longo endured a tough set one loss that had to be decided in a tie-breaker, 6-7 (11-13), but rallied to take the second and third sets with relative ease, 6-2, 6-0 for the win.

Charged with the enormity of the situation, and having to battle the home-court advantage in favor of Oberlin, the fate of the match would come down to junior Elyse Schmitt at flight five singles. Despite it all, Schmitt was not rattled by the situation from the outset. She took a closely contested first set 6-4, but fell in the possible close-out second set 1-6, pushing not only the singles match, but the entire team match to the brink.

In that decisive third set, Schmitt found herself down at one point 5-3, and in danger of losing the match. Determined not to let that happen, Schmitt upped her level of play, roaring back in the third set to take the next four games to win the third set, 7-5, and clinch the match for the Gators.

The win itself, but particularly against Oberlin, is a monumental one in the growth of the up and coming women's tennis program. This year alone, they have had an eight-win turnaround from a year ago, and for the first time in the past three years, the Gators came out on top of Oberlin in the NCAC Tournament.