Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Box Score
ROME, Georgia (May 15, 2021) – The North Central College women's tennis team saw its historic season come to a close on Saturday at the NCAA Division III Championships, falling 5-1 to Skidmore College in the second round at the Rome Tennis Center.
After receiving a first round bye, the Cardinals (14-6) battled the Thoroughbreds tightly through doubles play. Following a loss at the No. 1 position,
Kaeli Smashey and
Nina Patience evened the score 1-1 with a 8-5 defeat of Audrey Soohoo and Sofia Carolsson at the No. 3 position.
At No. 2,
Mikayla Edquiban and
Sydney Sawyer fought hard but could not overtake Lily Feldman and Chanthel Thongpok, as Skidmore took a 2-1 lead after doubles competition.
Skidmore (8-1) carried that momentum into singles play, capturing straight-set wins at positions two, three and four to clinch the match.
The 2021 team made plenty of history this season, becoming the first team in program history to claim the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship and CCIW Tournament Championship, and qualifying for its first NCAA Division III Championship appearance.
Individually, Smashey claimed the first CCIW Player of the Year award in program history while head coach
Ryan Jump was named CCIW Coach of the Year for the first time.
