HAVERFORD, Pa. - The record setting season for the Ursinus College women's tennis team came to an abrupt halt yesterday, as the 12th ranked Haverford Fords swept the doubles matches en route to a 5-0 victory.  The Bears finish their best season in school history with a 14-7 record and a first ever appearance in the Centennial Conference playoffs.

"I will give all the credit to Haverford," head coach Pete Smith said.  "They were very good today, even better than when we played them in the regular season.  But our girls gave a great effort, and I could not be prouder of them.  This was a sensational season by a really special group of girls.  Hopefully this success can prove to be a great building block for the future of Ursinus women's tennis."

The doubles portion of the match turned out to be critical as the Fords swept all three matches for the 3-0 lead.  In the first flight, freshmen Ashley Nguyen and Aileen Bevard battled hard before falling by and 8-1 count.  In the second flight, senior Audrey Whitebloom and freshman Ariel Danziger put up a spirited battle before dropping an 8-3 decision.  Smith felt that both teams played well, but were bested by a talented pair of Haverford teams.

"At both first and second doubles, my eyes told me we were in those matches.  We played very hard, and frankly, pretty well.  Haverford was just too tough in those spots."

The Bears had their best chance to get on the board at third doubles, where BreAnna Bashaw and Christina Cromwell bolted to a 6-1 lead before Haverford mounted a rally.  The match was a back and forth affair that ultimately ended up in a tie breaker.  With both teams wildly rooting on their teamamates, the Fords survived with a 9-8 (7-4) win that put them in control of the match.

"That was a really tough loss.  Bre and Christina have been nothing short of exceptional for us this year, but Haverford was just a little better today on some key points.  The difference between the two teams at third doubles was almost imperceptible."

From there, Haverford was able to win at third and fourth singles to secure the match with a 5-0 lead.  As per NCAA rules, the match was stopped when the outcome was decided.

"Even with the result today, this was a fabulous year for Ursinus College women's tennis," Smith remarked.  "We had a great mix of seniors and underclassmen that really meshed well to lead us into the playoffs for the first time ever.  We will really miss Audrey (Whitebloom) and Christina (Cromwell) next year, as they were the best captains I could have ever hoped for.  Not to mention the 50 wins they combined for this year, that will also be tough to replace.  But, with the four underclassmen coming back next year, I am very hopeful we can continue build this program into something special."