CLAREMONT, CA. - Marking a two-set comeback following a first-set sweep, No. 2
Jackie Soloveychik '27 of the Wesleyan women's tennis team turned out a nail biting third-set tiebreak performance in the NCAA Individual Championship Quarterfinal to advance to the national semifinal while earning All-American honors in the process from the Biszants Family Tennis Center at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Following performances in the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Individual Championships on Saturday morning, Soloveychik and
Lane Durkin '27 earned first-career All-American honors within the NCAA national tournament. The duo joins teammates
Sarah Youngberg '26 and
Leila Epstein '26.
Facing No. 34 Izabele Antanavicius in the national quarterfinal, Soloveychik was caught off in the opening set, unable to produce a point as Antanavicius climbed to a quick 6-0 victory in set one. But ever the one to show up and show out, Soloveychik still had the higher ground.
Taking game one of set two, Soloveychik began her assent in the trenches and held off just a bit longer with Anatanavicius tying the set up and taking a short-lived lead. Soloveychik flipped the match in her favor at three games and would be forced to hold her lead two more times as Antanavicius continued to tie the set. Clearing Antanavicius to tie the match with a 6-4 set win, Soloveychik forced a third-set tiebreak to extend her stay in Claremont another day.
Holding no less than a two-game lead through the final set, Soloveychik's efforts kept Antanavicius to just three total points as she ran a three-game campaign to secure her spot in the national semifinal with a final score of 0-6, 6-4, 6-3.
On the neighboring court, No. 6 Durkin was put to work by CMS's No. 16 Lindsay Eisenman. Eisenman climbed to a 3-0 lead in the first set, looking to pull another set sweep of the Cardinals, but Durkin won out three in a row to tie the match. Flipping at four, Durkin did not allow Eisenman any additional points, winning another three games in a row to a 6-3 set one lead.
Set two began with Eisenman holding Durkin to a 4-0 deficit, looking to send the match to a third set. Managing two victories to hold off a sweep, Durkin was unable to catch Eisenman in the 6-2 tally heading into the tiebreak.
Durkin tied Eisenman early at one in the final set and would eventually catch Eisenman, bringing the score within just one game at 4-3, but would eventually fall to Eisenmann in a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 final score.
Awaiting Soloveychik in the NCAA Quarterfinal is No. 15 Jimena Menendez of NYU on Monday, May 26, at 1 p.m. EST.
