April 29, 2007
Box Score
BALTIMORE, MD - The #15 Johns Hopkins women's tennis team claimed its first ever Centennial Conference Championship with a 5-4 win over #17 Swarthmore Sunday. The Blue Jays will participate in the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history. Hopkins improves to 16-3 on the season while Swarthmore falls to 11-6 on the season. Freshman Ellen Berlinghof (Fort Washington, PA/Upper Dublin) clinched the win with a three-set win at sixth singles.
Swarthmore took a 2-1 lead after doubles with wins at second and third. Sophomore Brittany Matava (Denver, CO/Littleton) and freshman Anita Bhamidipati (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Egg Harbor Township) won 8-2 for Hopkins at first. The pair beat Sonya Reynolds and Sara Sargent for the Jays only doubles point. Marissa Matthews and Erica Lukoski then won at second, defeating junior Tanya Gulnik (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) and freshman Ellen Berlinghof (Fort Washington, PA/Upper Dublin) at third 8-6 to make it a 1-1 match. Rachel Wallwork and Waverly Lutz closed out doubles with an 8-5 win at second over Amanda Schubert (Richmond, VA/Mills E. Godwin) and senior Becky Busch (Winnetka, IL/New Trier Township).
Sargent gave Swarthmore a 3-1 lead after beating Busch 6-2, 6-2 at fifth. But Schubert came back with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Wallwork at third to make it a 3-2 match. Swarthmore pushed it back to a two-point lead after Reynolds beat Matava 6-4, 6-1 at first. Bhamidipati won 6-4, 6-3 at second, beating Jennie Park to make it 4-3. That win was her 14th straight and her 19th of the season.
Gulnik rallied after losing her first set at fourth singles to win the second and third over Matthews, making it a 4-4 match. The match came down to Berlinghof's sixth singles match versus Lutz. Berlinghof won the first set 6-2 but Lutz tied the match after winning 7-6 (7-4) in the second. Berlinghof came back in the third, winning 6-3 to take the match for Hopkins.
The NCAA will release the team bracket for the 2007 championships on Monday at www.ncaasports.com. Selections for the individual championships will also be announced Monday.
