KERRVILLE, Texas -- A year after having its eight year stranglehold on the conference crown ended at the hands of Southwestern University, Trinity University turned the tables and exacted a bit of revenge, earning a commanding 5-0 victory in the title game of the 2022 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Championship held Sunday morning at the Cree Family Tennis Center on the campus of Schreiner University. Official Website | Postmatch Interview | Photo Album
In a battle of two nationally ranked teams, it was the 13th-ranked Tigers day to shine as the 16th-ranked Pirates got behind early and never recovered. Trinity earned all three doubles points, including a big 8-2 win between two regionally ranked doubles teams at the No. 1 line when Cate Cushing and Megan Flores (ranked fifth in the West Region) defeated Nina Mitrofanova and Lydia Lee (ranked seventh in the West Region). Trinity's Olivia Kim and Ruth Hill posted a convincing 8-3 in over Southwestern's Alli Ziehm and Emma Kesterson at No. 2 doubles, and Ellie Hughes and Elodie Richard fought back to take an 8-6 win over Lauren Chisholm and Taylor Despriet at No. 3.
Needing just two wins in singles play to clinch the match, Cushing put Trinity on the doorstep of the conference title when she took her match at No. 2 by scores of 6-2, 6-0 over Despriet, and the Tigers' Hill provided the match and conference championship clinching point when she dispatched Kesterson, 6-3, 6-1.
As conference champion, Trinity (14-8) will receive the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships, which begin on May 12. Southwestern (16-5) will have to await word of an at-large bid when brackets are announced a week from Monday (May 9). As conference champion last year, Southwestern advanced to the national quarterfinals before falling to Emory (Ga.), 5-0, in the round of eight.
The championship is the 24th overall for the Trinity women's tennis program, the third-most conference crowns by one program in SCAC history, trailing only the 25 championships won by both the Trinity women's soccer and Trinity men's tennis programs. The men's tennis team are playing for their record 26th crown later Sunday.
#13 TRINITY UNIVERSITY 5, #16 SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 0
May 1, 2022 at Kerrville, Texas (Cree Family Tennis Center)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Olivia Kim (TU) vs. Nina Mitrofanova (SU) 4-6, 3-1, unfinished |
| 2. Cate Cushing (TU) def. Taylor Despriet (SU) 6-2, 6-0 |
| 3. Ruth Hill (TU) def. Emma Kesterson (SU) 6-3, 6-1 |
| 4. Megan Flores (TU) vs. Lauren Chisholm (SU) 6-4, 1-1, unfinished |
| 5. Elodie Richard (TU) vs. Sydney Wahl (SU) 6-3, 1-0, unfinished |
| 6. Ellie Hughes (TU) vs. Alli Ziehm (SU) 3-5, unfinished |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Cate Cushing/Megan Flores (TU) def. Nina Mitrofanova/Lydia Lee (SU) 8-2 |
| 2. Olivia Kim/Ruth Hill (TU) def. Alli Ziehm/Emma Kesterson (SU) 8-3 |
| 3. Ellie Hughes/Elodie Richard (TU) def. Lauren Chisholm/Taylor Despriet (SU) 8-6 |
| Match notes |
| Southwestern University 16-5; National ranking #16; Regional ranking #5 |
| Trinity University 14-8; National ranking #13; Regional ranking #4 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,3) |
| T-4:00 A-227 |
UP NEXT
The NCAA will announce team selections May 9, and the first three rounds will be played May 12-15. The team quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship, along with the singles and doubles tournament, are set for May 23-29 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.
