By Carly Chelovitz /// Sports Editor
Lewis and Clark’s Women’s Tennis team has taken no time to get back into the groove. This past weekend, the team took part in the 2015 USTA ITA Northwest Regional Championships, a four-day long tournament in Salem, Oregon.
Many players participated, but Claudia Lew (’16) & Christine Eliazo (’18) ended up taking the cake. The duo, both from California, won first place overall in doubles. What’s even more remarkable, though, is that this was their first time playing together. Says Lew, “It’s kind of crazy that this was the first time we’ve played together, but we were very in sync, as soon as we started the point we were together.”
Winning the ITA Northwest Championships not only comes with a title, but with a prize. Lew and Eliazo have been invited to play, as a doubles team, at the National Small College Championships in Sumter, South Carolina from October 15-18. They also both received an All American title.
What does this mean for the future of Lewis and Clark Women’s Tennis? “The results of the fall ITA Championships definitely show the potential that the entire team has going into nationals, and we are very excited about that,” says Lew.
You may be wondering why Women’s Tennis, a spring season team, is competing during the fall season. This is due to what they call a “split season”. DIII sports teams are allowed 19 weeks of practice, tennis included. Though most teams practice for 19 weeks in a row, the tennis team splits their allotted weeks into two season. This allows them to practice in the fall in order to prepare for the ITA Northwest Regional Championships. They will continue to use their practice weeks in the spring, along with regular matches beginning Feb. 12.
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