WEST POINT, N.Y. – A historical season came to an end on Saturday afternoon, as the Navy women's tennis team (19-6) was defeated, 4-2, by rival Army (20-8) in the semifinal round of the 2023 Patriot league Championship at the Lichtenberg Tennis Center.
 
Despite the loss to the third-seeded Black Knights, the No. 2-seed Midshipmen saw a pair of program records rewritten on Saturday, as sophomore Emily Tannenbaum's singles victory tied her for the most singles wins in a season by a Navy player as well as giving her sole possession for the most No. 1 singles wins in the program's single-season history.
 
Army opened up the afternoon by capturing the doubles point, as Cooper Jackson and Paige Herremans pulled off a 6-3 win on the top court over Tannenbaum and junior Samantha Johns, while the duo of Julia Kelly and Jenna Sabile knocked off the No. 2 Navy pairing of senior captain Casey Accola and freshman Sia Chaudry, 6-4.
 
Tannenbaum would use her record-setting singles victory to even the semifinal at 1-1, as the sophomore tallied a 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) win in the top spot against Jackson for her 29th singles victory of the season and her 16th win in the No. 1 position this spring.
 
The Black Knights retook the lead when Sabile beat Chaudry by a 6-3, 6-4 score at the No. 3 spot, but sophomore Kate Lee brought the match even once again when she picked up a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 win over Herremans on the sixth court.
 
Elizabeth Gilbert put Army on the verge of clinching when she scored a 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory against junior Stella Ribaudo in the No. 2 matchup, while No. 5 player Ylan Duong secured the Black Knights' spot in the league finals by posting a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Johns.
 
Associate Head Coach Ale Pedergnana Post-Match Comments
"I could not be more proud to coach this great group of ladies. We had many challenges and obstacles that we overcame throughout the season and they just kept putting their heads down and going to work both on and off the court. While the ultimate result did not happen, this team battled and left it all out there and they always gave us everything they had. They represent what Navy Tennis and the Academy are all about."
 
"To our lone senior and team captain, Casey Accola, we watched her keep growing through her four years here. She did an unbelievable job of keeping the ladies focused and leading by example. She has left her legacy with this team and her fighting spirit will carry on well beyond her time here. I have no doubt she will do great things upon commissioning as a Marine Corps Officer and the fleet is extremely fortunate to have her."
 
Match Notes
• Navy is now 7-13 all-time against Army.
• Tannenbaum's 29 singles victories this season matched Amanda Keller's program-record total set in 2015.
• The 16 singles wins in the No. 1 position by Tannenbaum on the campaign surpassed Erin Shook's 15 wins at the top spot during the 2014 season.
• Tannenbaum's 22 doubles victories this season also tie her for eighth in the program's single-season record books.
• With the season complete, Hanna Elks Smith's singles winning percentage of .810 (17-4) is the ninth best in program single-season history.
• Accola ends her career with a 43-24 singles record over four seasons.