CLAREMONT, Calif. (May 6, 2022) - Reaching new heights as a program, the No. 19 women's tennis team entered the SCIAC Women's Tennis Postseason Tournmaent Semifinals with the mission of playing passionately, fighting for each point, and aiming to defeat the No. 2 Pomona-Pitzer.  Despite the reality that the Sagehens had won all but one match this season, the Beavers gave fought hard, coming up short 0-5 with several singles matches left incomplete.  

 

"The biggest theme as a team this season was to be fearless, and it's clear that the effort today, and throughout the year, demonstrated that," said Assistant Coach Benjamin Cook.  "We should all be proud of the grit and fighting spirit that the team played with. The supportive nature of this team and their commitment to the sport and each other bodes well for the future of Caltech women's tennis." 

 

The spirit, youthfulness, and talent of the Beavers against Pomona-Pitzer signifies great potential for the futre of the program.  The day was led by the steady play of senior Anna Tifrea (Fullerton, Calif. / Troy).  In Friday's #1 doubles match, Tifrea was paired with sophomore Athena Kolli (Buffalo Grove, Ill / Adlai E. Stevenson).  The duo led 3-2 after five sets, but the No. 1 in the West duo from Pomona-Pitzer (Lyven/Ye) forged ahead and took a 7-3 lead.  The Beavers fought back as Tifrea and Kolli squared the match to 7-7, but would lose 8-7, 7-4 in a tiebreaker.  This fight translated to the effort demonstrated by several Caltech singles players, as the majority of the singles matches were suspended once the Sagehens held an insurmountable, 5-0 lead.

 

Tifrea, playing #1 Singles, faced off against the SCIAC Women's Tennis Athlete, Maria Lyven.  After losing the first set 6-3, Tifrea dominated the second 4-1 before the Sagehens won their fifth match to claim victory over the Beavers, halting all incomplete matches. Freshman Anika Arora (Fremont, Calif. / Mission San Jose) played in  #6 singles and hammered her opponent 6-2 in the first set of their match, but trailed 4-5 in the second set. Nearly all matchups showed the Beavers had improved since the two teams competed against each other in mid-April.   

 

There's a possibility that the women's tennis team's efforts will be enough to enter them into the Division III Women's Tennis Championship Tournament.  Finishing the season at 9-9 (4-3 conference) in the ultra-competitive SCIAC may be enough to earn the Beavers an At-large bid to the end of season Championship Tournament.  More information about this prospective bonus opportunity will be communicated through the main page of the Caltech Athletics Website at GoCaltech.com.