No. 16 Tiger Women's Tennis gets geared up to head to Rocky Mount, North Carolina to compete in the NCAA III Women's Tennis Championship Tournament.
The Tigers (15-4) claimed their third straight conference championship last weekend. Trinity wrecked shop at the SCAC Championships as they only dropped one set. The Tigers defeated Schreiner 5-0 in the semi-finals and then cruised past Southwestern 5-1 to win the title.
Rosabella Andrade (Southlake, Texas / Ponderosa) was incredible, winning both singles matches by a combined score of 24-2 which included a shutout victory in #4 singles against Schreiner.
Olivia Kim (Phoenix, Arizona / Desert Mountain) also claimed a shutout victory in #3 singles. With the conference championship in hand, the Tigers held an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
SCAC All-Tournament Team
With their tournament dominance, six Trinity tennis players earned All-Tournament accolades.
From The SCAC Press Release:
For Trinity,
Cate Cushing (Colleyville, Texas / Heritage) is being honored for the fourth consecutive year, this year being named to the team for her play at both No. 6 singles and No. 2 doubles. Her doubles partner
Trinity Levy (Camarillo, California / Weil Tennis Academy) was elected to the team for the second consecutive year, also earning All-Tournament accolades at No. 3 singles. The Tigers'
Ruth Hill (Abilene, Texas / Abilene) secured All-Tournament honors for the third-straight year and second consecutive tournament at the top doubles spot.
Ellie Hughes (Austin, Texas / Vandergrift) is appearing on the team for the third-straight year after securing her spot this year at No. 3 doubles. Her doubles partner
Rosabella Andrade is making her debut on the team. Rounding out the All-Tournament TU Tiger selections is
Olivia Kim who is not a three-time honoree, this year making the team at No. 3 singles.
NCAA Individual Selections
With their stellar records and high rankings, two Tigers have been selected to participate in the Singles and Doubles Bracket of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships. The dynamic duo of
Ruth Hill and
Olivia Kim were selected for the doubles bracket while Hill was also tabbed for the singles competition. The individual championships will take place on May 25th-27th at Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis, Missouri. This will be the second year in a row that Hill and Kim have been selected for the NCAA Tournament. Hill will also be competing in the singles competition for the second time.
The duo has an overall record of 14-5 record this spring and are 7-3 in their last 10 matches. The team also took the ITA Southwest Regional Doubles Championship earlier in the fall. Hill, individually, has a 10-5 overall record and is on a two-match winning streak heading into the NCAA Tournament. The team ranks 4th regionally and 16th nationally for doubles while Kim is 28th nationally and 9th regionally in singles.
Preview - NCAA Tournament
Trinity will make their way to Rocky Mount, North Carolina to play against Christopher Newport on Saturday, May 11th, at 2:00 PM (ET). The Tigers and Captains will be in a pod with Emory, Pittsburgh-Greensburg, and host North Carolina Wesleyan.
On the Christopher Newport Captains: The Captains finished the 2024 season with a 13-5 overall record and a Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship. CNU finished their season on a four-game winning streak that included three sweeps. The Captains also have had success against ranked opponents, going 7-4. Those wins have included No. 21 Mary Washington and No. 20 Denison. However, the Captains have dropped two matches to Carnegie Mellon and top-ranked Johns Hopkins. This will be the first NCAA tournament appearance for Christopher Newport but they do have some experience on their roster as they have qualified for the tournament as individuals in the 2021-22 season. This will be the first time that the Tigers and the Captains have squared off in the NCAA playoffs.
Looking Ahead
If the Tigers prevail, they will play the winner of the Emory vs Pittsburgh-Greensburg/North Carolina Wesleyan winner.
