2004

Emory University became the first women's tennis team in any NCAA division to repeat as "triple crown" winner by capturing the NCAA team, singles and doubles championships. Emory senior Mary Ellen Gordon won the NCAA singles and doubles championships for the second year in a row, both in all-Emory finals.

Emory is the first school in Division III history to make three consecutive appearances in the finals of the NCAA team championship. The Eagles won the title in 2003 and were second in 2002.

For the second year in a row, Emory finishes with a perfect 19-0 record against Division III competition. In the last four seasons combined, the Eagles are 69-3 against Division III schools.

Overall, the team was 24-1 this season, losing only to a team ranked No. 1 in the nation in NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). Emory had eight wins against national top-10 Division III teams and 16 wins against national top-20 Division III teams.

In its four NCAA national tournament matches, Emory did not lose a single point, winning by a combined score of 24-0 while beating four national top-20 teams.

This is the third national title for Emory in women's tennis. Coach Amy Smith has had a hand in all three titles. She played No. 1 singles on Emory's 1996 national champion team and has coached the team to national titles the last two years.

For the second consecutive year, Gordon beat teammate Jolyn Taylor in the singles finals, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-5. No other school has ever had teammates facing off in the singles finals.

Gordon and Taylor teamed up for their second consecutive doubles title by beating teammates Margaret Moscato and Carina Alberelli in the finals, 6-2, 6-1. This is the first time in Division III history that teammates played each other for the doubles crown.

Gordon becomes the first player in NCAA history, man or woman, in any division, to win the national doubles championship all four years. With two team titles, two singles championships and four doubles championships, Gordon finishes with eight NCAA championships, making her the most decorated female player in NCAA history in any division (only two men have ever won eight NCAA titles).

Gordon, Taylor and Alberelli all reached the singles quarterfinals, marking the second time in Division III history that a school placed three players in the quarterfinals. Gordon and Taylor did not drop a set in the singles tournament until the finals.

Gordon was the No. 1 seed in the singles draw. She beat the No. 4, 5 and 6 seeds on the way to the title. Taylor, the No. 6 singles seed, beat the No. 2 and 3 seeds. Alberelli, who was unseeded, beat the No. 8 seed and later lost in the quarterfinals to the No. 4 seed.

In doubles, Gordon and Taylor were the top seed. Moscato and Alberelli knocked off the No. 4 seed in the doubles semifinals. Gordon and Taylor did not lose a set enroute to the doubles title. This is the fourth time in Division III history that a school had two pairings in the doubles semifinals.

Emory won the conference team title for the 17th consecutive year. The Eagles have won every UAA championship since it first conducted tennis championships in 1988. That is the longest title streak in conference history in any sport.

Gordon was named the conference Most Valuable Player for an unprecedented fourth time. She was one of six Emory players chosen for the all-University Athletic Association first team in singles and doubles.
Gordon is the first female in conference history in any sport to receive the MVP award all four years. She was selected to the all-UAA first team at both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for the fourth time.

This is the third time in school history that Emory has claimed all six singles spots and all three doubles spots on the all-UAA first team. The other two times--1996 and 2003--Emory went on to win the national championship.

Below are some individual honors:

Carina Alberelli
Alberelli, a junior, not only became an All-American for the first time in her career, but also became the sixth Emory player ever to attain All-America status in singles and doubles in the same year. She advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA singles championship and to the finals of the NCAA doubles championship (the latter with teammate Margaret Moscato). As a result, Alberelli was eighth in the final national singles rankings and second in the national doubles rankings. Last fall, she and Moscato finished third in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national doubles championship. The duo combined for a 32-5 doubles record this season, a school record for doubles wins and the fourth-best ever doubles win percentage. Alberelli was 18-4 in singles this season. Alberelli was fifth in the final regional singles rankings, a jump from last season when she was not among the 28 players listed in the regional rankings. Alberelli's emergence led to her winning the national "Player to Watch" award from the ITA and her team's Most Improved Player award. She was selected to the all-conference team in singles for the third time and in doubles for the second time. Alberelli has career records of 56-11 in singles and 56-14 in doubles. She stands 15th place on the school's all-time list for both career singles wins and career doubles wins. She is on pace to place third in career doubles win percentage (.800) and seventh in career singles win percentage (.836).

Jamie Chan
Chan had a season record of 19-2 in singles and 18-6 in doubles. Her singles win percentage of .905 is the third best in school history. She was named to the all-conference first team at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles, the second consecutive year Chan has made the all-conference first team in singles and doubles. She was chosen for the team's sportsmanship award. After two seasons, Chan has career records of 42-7 (.857) in singles and 31-8 (.795) in doubles. Both of her career win percentages put her on pace to finish fourth in the Emory record book.

Mary Ellen Gordon
Gordon won the NCAA team, singles and doubles championships for the second consecutive year, a feat unmatched by any female player in NCAA history in any division. She became the first player in NCAA history, man or woman, in any division, to win the national doubles championship all four years. With two team titles, two singles championships and four doubles championships, Gordon finishes with eight NCAA championships, making her the most decorated female player in NCAA history in any division. She was honored as the NCAA Division III Athlete of the Year (all sports included) by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards. Gordon did not drop a set in the NCAA singles tournament until the finals, and she did not lose a set while winning the NCAA doubles tournament. She finished the season with a 26-1 singles record and a 28-1 doubles record. Gordon was chosen as the conference's Most Outstanding Performer for the fourth time, a feat unmatched in conference history by any female athlete in any sport. For her career, Gordon broke the school records for career singles wins (115), career singles win percentage (.891), career doubles wins (104) and career doubles win percentage (.839). Gordon was honored as the national "Senior Player of the Year" by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Richelle Marasigan
The freshman was named to the all-conference first team at No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles. Marasigan had a season record of 17-6 in singles, including 11-5 against opponents from national top-25 teams. She was 21-6 in doubles, placing her 25th on the Emory all-time list for doubles wins in a season. Marasigan was chosen the team's Rookie of the Year.

Margaret Moscato
Moscato finished as a four-time All-American, once in singles and three times in doubles. This season, she and teammate Carina Alberelli advanced to the finals of the NCAA doubles championship and finished third in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) fall national doubles championship. As a result, the duo placed second in the final ITA national doubles rankings. Moscato (and Alberelli) broke a school record with 32 doubles wins this season. Moscato compiled a 24-3 record in singles, ninth-highest season total in Emory history, and her .889 singles win percentage is sixth best on the Emory all-time list. She was voted to the all-conference first team in singles and doubles for the third time (she was not on the ballot in 2003 because she skipped the conference tournament for a Medical College Admission Test). Moscato was voted the regional winner of the Arthur Ashe Award, presented by the ITA for leadership and sportsmanship. Moscato graduated with a 72-29 career singles record, placing her 10th on the Emory all-time list for career singles wins, and a 90-27 career doubles record, putting her in second place in school history for career doubles wins.

Jolyn Taylor
Taylor won her second NCAA national doubles championship, along with teammate Mary Ellen Gordon. The two did not drop a set while winning the NCAA doubles title. For the second consecutive year, Taylor was the national runner-up in the NCAA singles championship, both times behind teammate Gordon. Taylor was the only player this year to win a set from Gordon in the NCAA singles tournament before falling 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-5. As a result, she was first in the final national doubles rankings (along with Gordon) and second in the national singles rankings. Taylor was bestowed All-America honors in singles and doubles for the second consecutive year. Last fall, Taylor won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national singles championship. She was voted to the all-conference first team in singles and doubles for the second time in as many years. Taylor finished with a 28-5 singles record and a 31-2 doubles record. Her 31 doubles victories are the third-highest in school history and her 28 singles wins are the fourth highest. After two seasons, her career singles win percentage (.866) puts her on pace for third place on the Emory all-time list and her career doubles win percentage (.897) puts her on pace to break the school record.

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