Women's Tennis on CBS' NCAA Spring Championships Highlights Show Sunday

Eph head coach Alison Swain '01, junior Cary Gibson, and sophomore Grace Baljon will appear on the CBS NCAA Spring Championships Highlights Show airing this Sunday on the network at 2:00 pm EST.

CBS had a camera crew on hand in St. Peter, Minn., on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College when they Ephs rolled to their third NCAA title downing previously undefeated Washington & Lee in the final 5-4.

Earlier in the year Washington & Lee hosted the Ephs in Lexington, Virginia and the Generals came out on top 5-4. Shortly after that match Swain found out that one of her top first year players Lucy Marchese, who played #3 singles and doubles, was lost for the year due to injury.

Grace Baljon during interview with CBS crew

In the championship match vs. Washington & Lee the Ephs trailed 4-3 and #1 singles player Cary Gibson was down 3-0 in the third set. Somehow Gibson found a way to get back on track and she won six straight games to win the match to even the score at 4-4.

It all came down to first year Nikki Reich who though in her first year of intercollegiate tennis played in a handful of match-deciding competitions and she won her third set convincingly to make Swain one of only two coaches in Division III to win an NCAA title as a player (2001) and as a coach.

Williams finished the year with a 21-3 record.