Box score
LANCASTER, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College won its fourth Commonwealth Conference women's tennis championship in the last six years with a 5-0 win over Lebanon Valley College at Racquet Club West Saturday afternoon.
Jess Russell (left) and Emily Swarr share MVP honors
The match was moved indoors due to the forecast of strong winds in the area, but the Blue Jays (15-4 overall) had no trouble adapting to the conditions against the Flying Dutchmen (17-3 overall), avenging a 5-2 loss in last year's championship match.
Elizabethtown seniors
Jess Russell and
Emily Swarr shared the tournament Most Valuable Player honors after picking up an 8-5 victory over Sarah Grodzinski and Shayna Heintzelman at flight one to help the Blue Jays to a sweep of doubles action.
With the win, Elizabethtown earns the Commonwealth Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships. On Monday, the Blue Jays will learn its regional assignment and its opponent in Friday's opening round.
The team of
Allison Burkhardt and
Madison Pipkin defeated Tamera Lobb and Lauren Fulmer 8-3 at flight two to establish a new Elizabethtown program record for doubles wins in a season at 21, breaking the mark of 20 set by Heather Lander in 2005-06 and matched in 2006-07.
Also in doubles,
Alena Marani and
Kristi Noecker posted an 8-0 shutout of Lebanon Valley's Morgan Brady and Jess Ferlenda at flight three.
In singles, Burkhardt picked up a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Lobb at flight three and Marani defeated Caitlin Bedford 6-0, 6-4 to give Elizabethtown the points necessary to clinch the match.
In unfinished matches, Russell and Pipkin were each one game away from wins for the Blue Jays, while Swarr split the first two sets against Grodzinski and Noecker led Brady in the first set.
Commonwealth Conference finals
at Racquet Club West
Elizabethtown 5, Lebanon Valley 0
Singles
Doubles
1. Swarr/Russell, E, d. Grodzinski/Heintzelman 8-5
2. Burkhardt/Pipkin, E, d. Lobb/Fulmer 8-3
3. Marani/Noecker, E, d. Brady/Jess Ferlenda, 8-0