Swarthmore Completes the Triple Crown
Sunday was a banner day for the Swarthmore women's tennis team, as the Garnet swept the 2005 Centennial Conference Championships, winning the singles' and doubles' titles at the Michael Mullan Tennis Center.
Sonya Reynolds '07, seeded No. 2 in the singles' draw, upset the top-seeded player, Muhlenberg's Amy Schmidt, to win the Centennial Individual Championship 6-0, 6-1. Reynolds, the 7th-ranked player in the Atlantic South Region, had a strong forehand working, chasing Schmidt all over the court. The sophomore south-paw continually painted the lines, forcing Schmidt into several uncharacteristic errors. Reynolds controlled the match from the onset, compounding Schmidt's errors with accurately placed shots and a very strong first-serve.
Reynolds downed 4th-seeded F&M's Katie Daskins 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday morning while Schmidt scrambled by No. 3 seed Allison Daciek of Washington (Md.) 7-5, 6-4. Schmidt, ranked sixth in the region, traversed the entire season unbeaten (19-0), yielding nary a set, until Reynolds broke through on Sunday. Reynolds extends her own streak of victories to 13 consecutive matches, assuring Swarthmore of the Centennial Women's Tennis Triple Crown (singles' title, doubles' title, and regular season team title).
The Garnet were assured possession of the doubles' title by virtue of two Swarthmore tandems reaching the final match. Sara Sargent '07 and Elli Suzuki '06 rallied down 5-2 in the second set to defeat teammates Reynolds and Marissa Matthews '07 7-5, 7-5 to win the 2005 Centennial Conference Doubles' Championship.
Reynolds is the third Swarthmore woman to capture the singles' crown and the fifth overall title for the school. Jennifer Pao '01 was the first in 1999 and Anjani Reddy '04 won titles in 2001, 2002, and 2004.