MIDDLEBURY, Vt.—First-year Sandra Sikharulidze (Kyiv, Ukraine) secured the clinching point by winning a third-set tiebreaker at number two singles as No. 5 Babson College defeated No. 12 Middlebury College, 4-2, in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon inside the Nelson Recreation Center.
 
Babson has won four in a row and 14 of its last 15 matches to improve to 18-4 while advancing to the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Middlebury sees its season come to a close at 14-7. 
 
Trailing 1-0 after doubles, the Beavers seized control of the match by winning the first three singles contests. Senior Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) beat seventh-ranked Elsie Van Wieren (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 6-3, 6-1 at number one, first-year Tina Liu (Plantation, Fla.) recorded a dominating 6-2, 6-0 victory over Diya Pachamuthu (Lexington, Mass.) at number four and sophomore Alessandra Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Ren Barton (Avon, Conn.) at number three. 
 
Elizabeth Doak (New Canaan, Conn.) registered the Panthers first singles point with a 6-4, 6-4 win over junior Dana Kamal (Cairo, Egypt), but Sikharulidze outlasted Anna Lardner (San Anselmo, Calif.) with a hard-fought three-set victory at number two. After dropping the first set, Sikharulidze trailed 3-1 in the second and 4-1 in the third before rallying for a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) triumph by scoring the final two points of the third-set breaker.
 
The lone singles match still on the court at the time of decision was at number five, where Babson first-year Jolie Wang (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) led Charlotte McCann (Montclair, N.J.) 3-6, 6-1, 2-1 in the third. 
 
Middlebury took the doubles point with a pair of dominant performances at Nos. 2-3. McCann and Ananya Annapantuala (Mason, Ohio) beat Alessandra Cristiani and first-year Manuela Moscoso (Quito, Ecuador) 6-0 at number two, while Barton and Pachamuthu won the final four games to post a 6-2 victory over Kamal and Wang at number three. Matia Cristiani and Sikharulidze were locked in a 4-4 battle with Van Wieren and Lardner when the match was stopped.
 
Babson will now face No. 2 Chicago in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on Monday, May 18, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.