BRYN MAWR, Pa. – Ariel Danziger moved into a tie atop the all-time charts for the Ursinus College women's tennis team with her 100th career victory to lead the Bears to a 6-3 victory at Bryn Mawr in their season finale on Tuesday.
Ursinus closed the season with a 9-10 overall record and a 3-7 mark in Centennial Conference play, while the Owls dropped to 6-12 and 2-7 in the CC.
Needing two wins to match BreAnna Bashaw '16 for the most in program history, Danziger delivered a pair of dominating performances to close her career on the highest of notes. The senior paired with freshman Madisen Harvey for an 8-4 victory over Caroline Horvatits and Francesca Caramazza at number two doubles before routing Horvatits, 6-1, 6-0, for her milestone match.
Danziger finished with 54 doubles wins, the most in school history, and 46 singles victories, good for third all-time.
Senior Ashley Nguyen capped her career with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Mariam Haider at number two singles. It was the 73rd overall win for Nguyen, who stands third at Ursinus with 40 doubles wins and moved into a tie for fourth with her 33rd singles triumph.
Along with classmate Aileen BeVard, who is first in program history in singles wins (50) and third in both doubles wins (38) and overall wins (88), the Bears' 2018 senior class finished with 261 total victories. The class makes up three-quarters of the four winningest players in the history of Ursinus women's tennis.
Sophomore Summer Burkholder and Harvey were also double winners for the Bears. Burkholder teamed with freshman Maddie Sorebo for an 8-4 defeat of Abbygail Brewster and Jennifer Laske at third doubles, then capped the match with a 6-3, 3-6, 5-4 (2) thriller over Laske at fifth singles. The match was tied at 4-all in the third set when the players agreed to decide the match on a seven-point tiebreaker due to darkness.
In addition to her doubles win, Harvey polished off her first collegiate season with a 7-5, 7-5 result against Christina Xue.
Coach's Corner
"I am very happy that the girls won today to cap off what has been a very trying season for them.," said head coach Pete Smith. "We faced a lot of adversity but never quit; the team always gave a great effort and I am so thankful for that.
"I think it is appropriate for me to recognize the three seniors - Aileen, Ashley, and Ariel – for what they have achieved in their four years here. A total of 46 team wins and the only playoff appearance in school history is a pretty good legacy to leave behind during this four-year run. But I think the most staggering number is the total number of wins these kids earned here … between the three of them, they went to the net to shake hands 261 times as winners. When you play in the Centennial Conference, that is an astounding number of victories. I was honored to coach Aileen, Ash, and Ariel for four years, and I will never forget them. They helped leave an indelible mark on the program and have changed the perception of Ursinus Women's Tennis forever."