Taylor Earns Round of 32 Victory at NCAAs to Lead Tartan Women

(KALAMAZOO, Mich.) - Carnegie Mellon University freshman Danna Taylor (Orlando, Fla. / Circle Christian School) won her first singles match at the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships before completing play in the tournament later on Friday afternoon. The tournament was held at Kalamazoo College and was moved indoors due to rain.

Taylor opened the tournament with a three-set win against Nicole Tan from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. Tan won the first set 6-2 before the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rookie of the Year forced a third set with a 6-1 win in the second set. Taylor then won 6-3 to advance to the Round of 16.

Coming off the team championship on Wednesday, freshman Venia Yeung of Wesleyan University was able to top Taylor, 6-1, 6-3, stopping the Tartan freshman's run at the singles championship.

Following two gruelling matches, Taylor paired with sophomore Melissa Strome (West Bloomfield, Mich. / West Bloomfield) in the Round of 16 of the doubles bracket. The duo drew Wesleyan's Kristina Yu and Victoria Yu, winners of five straight including all five of their matches in the team's NCAA tournament run. The Yu sisters got the better of the Tartans on Friday with a 6-2, 6-2 win to continue their season.

Despite the early exit, Taylor and Strome finish the year as ITA All-Americans because of their fall performance and national ranking.