Women's Tennis 5/2/2015 6:30:00 PM

BLUE JAYS CHAMPS AGAIN! Women's tennis wins first Landmark crown, sixth straight conference title, 5-2, over Scranton

Results

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Lauren Berry dropped a shot behind Nicole Mahaffey on the sixth championship point, completing a comeback at No. 3 singles and elevating Elizabethtown College women's tennis to its first Landmark Conference Championship –and sixth straight conference title– 5-2 over the University of Scranton Saturday afternoon at the Alumni Courts.

In a match-up between the top two seeds, the Blue Jays held on to their pristine record against conference opponents...but just barely.

Scranton's (12-5) late charge in singles had Elizabethtown fans on edge, even though the Blue Jays were up 4-1 behind two doubles wins and singles victories by No. 6 Taylor Helsel and No. 4 Madison McCall.

Emily Walsh of the three-time defending Landmark Champion Royals led E-town's (16-3) Christine Evangelista 6-3, 5-4, at No. 1 and Lisa-Marie Lanciotti held a one-set lead on Sarah Calabro at No. 5 for an extended period.

That left Berry and Mahaffey playing a match on court three that ramped up in significance with each passing point. Mahaffey won five straight games to start the opening set. After some equipment changes, Berry rallied to within 5-4, before dropping the set 6-4. The junior from Dillsburg composed herself to take the second 6-2, but fell behind 4-2 midway through the decisive third.

Lauren Berry was named tournament MVP after her win at third singles Saturday. — Lauren Berry was named tournament
MVP after her win at third
singles Saturday.

Berry drew even, broke Mahaffey's serve to go in front, 5-4, and then served for the match and the title. The two players methodically traded shots, neither wanting to commit a mistake with each point so valuable to the outcome. Elizabethtown nearly celebrated on one of Berry's match points, but her shot hit the top of the net and fell back on the wrong side of the court to force deuce.

Finally, after an extended rally on sixth championship point, Mahaffey attacked the net, giving Berry a chance to push a shot over the top. She did, and the Royal senior couldn't chase it down in time, as Berry triumphed 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to deliver Elizabethtown its sixth conference championship in a row. For her efforts and a 2-1 record in tournament play, Berry was named tournament MVP.

Five of the seven completed matches Saturday saw outcomes reversed from April 17 when E-town defeated Scranton, 5-4, indoors at the Birchwood Tennis Club in South Abington, Pa.

The big swing came in doubles, where Scranton won No. 1 and No. 3 during the regular season, but dropped those matches in the championship match.

McCall and Sam Procak assembled an early lead in beating Lanciotti and Emily Machado, 8-3, at third doubles. Evangelista and Kaitlyn Pellegrino stayed right with Walsh and Julia Frattaroli at No. 1, before taking advantage late to escape with an 8-6 victory.

With all the flip-flopping, two constants remained in singles: Helsel and McCall. Helsel, the daughter of coach Matt Helsel, boosted her record to 18-6 on the year (11-2 at No. 6) with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Machado. Last year's Commonwealth Conference Championships most valuable player, McCall, led from start-to-finish in the first set, but faced adversity in the second. She would overcome it, though, to win for the 20th time this season, 6-1, 6-4, in straight sets.

McCall is the first Blue Jay to 20 wins and Saturday's victory tied her with Kristy Trimbey and Kristi Noecker for fourth on the team's single-season wins list.

In the two unfinished matches, Evangelista staved off multiple match points, trailing Walsh 3-6, 4-5 when Berry clinched. Moments before championship point was settled, Calabro took the second set from Lanciotti to even the match 5-7, 7-5. It was a crucial result for the senior from Archbald, Pa., as the No. 5 match could have become a focal point if No. 3 went Scranton's way.

The championship victory ensured that Elizabethtown's three seniors: Calabro, Evangelista and Pellegrino, would not lose a regular season or postseason match against a conference opponent. The Class of 2015 is the third straight senior class to win four conference championships and go unbeaten in regular season conference play all four seasons.

Pellegrino tied Madison Pipkin for fourth on the program's career doubles wins list with her 61st and moved into a share of eighth with Allison Burkhardt after capturing her 106th career combined victory. Evangelista's win at No. 1 doubles with her senior teammate was No. 59, good for sixth in team history.

The Blue Jays, ranked 18th in the ITA Atlantic South Region, earn the Landmark Conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament. They'll await their draw, which will be announced via a press release at NCAA.com on Monday, May 4, at noon.

Elizabethtown 5, Scranton 2
May 2, 2015 at Elizabethtown, Pa. (Alumni Courts)

Singles competition

1. Christine Evangelista (ETWN-W) vs. Emily Walsh (SCR) 3-6, 4-5, unfinished

2. Megan Azzalina (SCR) def. Kaitlyn Pellegrino (ETWN-W) 7-5, 6-4

3. Lauren Berry (ETWN-W) def. Nicole Mahaffey (SCR) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

4. Madison McCall (ETWN-W) def. Julia Frattaroli (SCR) 6-1, 6-4

5. Sarah Calabro (ETWN-W) vs. Lisa-Marie Lanciotti (SCR) 5-7, 7-5, unfinished

6. Taylor Helsel (ETWN-W) def. Emily Machado (SCR) 6-2, 6-4

Doubles competition

1. Christine Evangelista/Kaitlyn Pellegrino (ETWN-W) def. Emily Walsh/Julia Frattaroli (SCR) 8-6

2. Megan Azzalina/Nicole Mahaffey (SCR) def. Lauren Berry/Taylor Helsel (ETWN-W) 8-6

3. Madison McCall/Sam Procak (ETWN-W) def. Lisa-Marie Lanciotti/Emily Machado (SCR) 8-3

Match Notes

Scranton 12-5

Elizabethtown 16-3; Regional ranking #18

Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,4,2,3)

Landmark Conference Championship

(1) Elizabethtown vs. (2) Scranton

Elizabethtown wins first Landmark Conference Championship

Tournament MVP: Lauren Berry, Elizabethtown

Official: Russ Morgan T-3:27 A-125

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Players Mentioned

Lauren Berry: 5' 1"; Junior

Sarah Calabro: 5' 2"; Senior

Christine Evangelista: 5' 0"; Senior

Taylor Helsel: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Madison McCall: 5' 2"; Sophomore

Kaitlyn Pellegrino: 5' 7"; Senior

Sam Procak: 5' 3"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Lauren Berry
: 5' 1"; Junior

Sarah Calabro
: 5' 2"; Senior

Christine Evangelista
: 5' 0"; Senior

Taylor Helsel
: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Madison McCall
: 5' 2"; Sophomore

Kaitlyn Pellegrino
: 5' 7"; Senior

Sam Procak
: 5' 3"; Freshman