CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—No. 5 Babson College saw its NCAA Tournament run come to an end with a 4-1 loss to No. 3 Washington University (Mo.) in the national semifinals on Tuesday night at the Champions Tennis Club.
Babson, which suffered just its second loss in the last 17 matches going back to March, sees its historic season come to an end at 19-5. WashU, the defending Division III national champions, improves to 21-3 on the season and will have a chance to go for a second consecutive title when it faces No. 4 Wesleyan in Thursday’s final.
The Beavers picked up the first point of the match with a pair of victories in doubles. Senior
Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) and first-year
Sandra Sikharulidze (Kyiv, Ukraine), who are ranked fourth in Division III, responded to an early service break by winning six consecutive games to defeat the nation’s top-ranked doubles pairing of junior Eleanor Archer (Amarillo, Texas) and sophomore Caitlin Bui (Bayside, N.Y.) 6-1 at number one.
The Green and White secured the doubles point at number three as junior
Dana Kamal (Cairo, Egypt) and first-year
Jolie Wang (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) beat the Bears’ duo of sophomore Samantha Slowik (Durham, N.C.) and first-year Lily Brecknock (Oak Park, Ill.) 6-3. The teams traded early service breaks and split the first six games before Kamal and Wang won the final three games.
Babson’s duo of sophomore
Alessandra Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) and first-year
Elizabeth Shu (Sugar Land, Texas) also held a 4-3 lead over 10th-ranked senior Eliana Hanna (La Canada, Calif.) and sophomore Ally Lin (Katy, Texas) at number two doubles when the point was clinched.
WashU flipped the momentum of the match by winning the first set in all six singles matches on the way to recording straight-set victories at Nos. 3-6. Bui, who is ranked 21st nationally, picked the first point with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Shu at number three, and senior Nina Moravek (Gig Harbor, Wash.) followed with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Wang at number six.
The Bears secured their final two points with hard-fought victories in second-set tiebreakers. Senior Amber Edmonds (Bellevue, Wash.) was a 6-0, 7-6 (7-5) winner over Babson first-year
Tina Liu (Plantation, Fla.) at number five, while Lin outlasted Alessandra Cristiani 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) moments later at number four.
Matia Cristiani, the top-ranked singles player in the country, held a slim 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 1-0 lead over Hanna, who is ranked fifth, at number one, while 10th-ranked Sikharulidze and No. 19 Archer were deadlocked at 3-3 in the third after splitting the first two sets at number two.
Matia Cristiani and Sikharulidze are set to begin play in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships beginning on Friday morning in Chattanooga.
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.