FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DOUBLES HEARTBREAK ELIMINATES CHAPMAN WOMEN

CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Chapman University women’s tennis team was defeated by the University of Texas-Tyler in the first round of the NCAA West Region playoffs on Friday by a score of 5-3, eliminating the Panthers from the tournament, hosted by Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. Chapman (12-7) came up short in the tiebreaker of each of the first two seeded doubles matches, which provided the difference in the team loss.

The Panthers’ top-seeded freshman doubles team of Liz Lewis and Kelley Fox rallied from a 6-1 deficit to force the initial tiebreak, before finally falling 9-8 (10-8) in the tiebreak set. Meanwhile senior Laura Robinson and junior Roxanne Kaiden were also defeated in the tiebreaker 9-8 (7-1). Senior Sabrina Ezekiel and freshman Kelly Perryman won the No. 3-seeded doubles pairing 8-6. Chapman’s doubles losses shifted the tide in favor of UT-Tyler heading into singles play and the Panthers never recovered.

Lewis and Fox each won their singles matches following their heartbreaking doubles loss, but Tyler won three of the final four in singles play to clinch the victory and a berth in the second round against top-seeded Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday.

Doubles:
1) Launius/Anders (UTT) def. Lewis/Fox (CU) 9-8 (10-8)
2) Barrett/Hagler (UTT) def. Kaiden/Robinson (CU) 9-8 (7-1)
3) Ezekiel/Perryman (CU) def. Wilson/Coy (UTT) 8-6

Singles:
1) Liz Lewis (CU) def. Rachel Anders (UTT) 6-0, 6-4
2) Kelley Fox (CU) def. Beth Launius (UTT) 5-0 (ret.)
3) Michelle Hagler (UTT) def. Sheehan Trippel (CU) 6-0, 6-3
4) Nicole Barrett (UTT) def. Laura Robinson (CU) 6-3, 6-1
5) Brittany Ude (UTT) led Roxanne Kaiden (CU) 6-4, 5-1
6) Lauren Giovanni (UTT) def. Sabrina Ezekiel (CU) 6-3, 6-4

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