On February 26, for the first two dual matches at home in almost two years, the Sagehens swept 18 matches against two sets of Tigers—Trinity University (Texas) and Occidental College. We hope that many of you were able to see some of the singles and doubles matches on our new live stream. We are so grateful to our amazing support staff, families, friends, and even future members of the PPWT (Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Tennis) community who were able to come out to Claremont and support us!!
Pomona-Pitzer vs. Trinity (Texas) (9-0)
The PPWT Team began the day by playing against Trinity (Texas), which is currently led by Coach Drew Cohn ‘11, Sagehen great and two-time ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) National Assistant Coach of the Year (2015 and 2017) at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. Patria Aziz ‘23 and Amelia Poor ‘25 started out strong, going up a couple of breaks at No. 3 doubles. Maria Lyven ‘22 and Nina Ye ‘24 also got off to a quick start, going up a break at No. 1 doubles against Trinity’s duo of Megan Flores and Cate Cushing, the No. 9 ranked team in the West region. At No. 2 doubles, Marissa Markey ‘25 and Angie Zhou ‘25 were initially down 1-4 against a very tough team of Ruth Hill and Olivia Kim. Soon after Amelia and Patria wrapped up the No. 3 doubles match with a commanding 8-1 win, Nina and Maria followed with another 8-1 victory at No. 1 doubles. Marissa and Angie also clawed their way back into the No. 2 doubles match. By playing some really gritty, long points, the two Sagehens came out with an 8-6 win to round out a doubles sweep against Trinity (Texas).
The Hens had an equally strong showing in singles against the Trinity Tigers, with Maria, Nina, and Angie—who competed in No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 singles—losing only three games in their matches combined. Marissa, Georgia Ryan ‘23, and Amelia followed up with three more convincing wins. Amelia won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6 singles. On the next court, at No. 5 singles, Georgia defeated her opponent 6-3, 6-0 within mere seconds of Amelia. Marissa, the last Sagehen on court, claimed a 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 4 singles.
Pomona-Pitzer vs. Occidental (9-0)
The second set of Tigers, which is now led by Coach Tim Gray, Division III legend and former NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Champion at Washington College, arrived from Los Angeles in the afternoon for our first SCIAC (Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) dual match since February 2020. The Occidental Tigers have shown significant improvement since Coach Gray’s arrival and had great effort against the Hens.
The PPWT Team swept all three doubles matches. Alicia Carmona Cornejo ‘24 and Melisha Dogra ‘22 took care of business at No. 3 doubles, winning 8-0. Alex Coleman ‘24 and Samantha Moore-Thomson ‘25 quickly followed up their teammates with an 8-1 victory at No. 2 doubles. Janie Marcus ‘23 and Georgia played a talented and aggressive-moving team at No. 1 doubles. The duo closed out the doubles competition with an 8-4 win along with their sign-carrying super fans!
Oxy played some tough and gritty tennis once singles action commenced. Samantha was the first to finish with a dominant double bagel win at No. 5 singles. On the next court, at No. 6 singles, Melisha soon followed with a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Alicia rocked some huge forehands, coming off with a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles. Alex and her personal entourage of fans pulled through with a 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 3 singles. In her third match of the day, Angie defeated a quick opponent 6-0, 6-4 at No. 1 singles. The Sagehens finished off the afternoon, with Janie playing some aggressive tennis to win 6-0, 6-2 in a hard-fought No. 2 singles match.
Coach Mike Morgan’s Thoughts
“Overall, these two matches marked a great start at home before we head to Nicholasville, Kentucky to compete in the thirteenth annual ITA Division III National Women’s Team Indoor Championship from March 4 to 6. Go Hens!!”
(Images courtesy of Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Tennis Team and Aubrey Aust)
So much fun watching these ladies play and show both their physical and mental toughness! I can’t wait for Kentucky!!