Westmont College Athletics

By Ron Smith
September 28, 2019
 
(RAMONA, Calif.) Westmont freshman Erin Wilson handled weather challenges and multiple delays over all three days of the ITA NAIA West Regional and emerged as the singles champion in her first collegiate tournament.
 
"Erin had a great tournament," said Westmont head coach Ellie Johnson. "She played two teammates in different rounds of the tournament and held her composure, which is saying a lot as a freshman."
 
Wilson entered the singles bracket as the number three seed and as such received a first round bye. In the second round, Wilson defeated Hope International's Kristen Russo 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals, which is where she faced her first Westmont teammate.
 
Wilson posted a 6-1, 6-1 win over Rachal Jackson in the quarterfinals. Jackson had reached the quarterfinals by defeating Jocelyn Torres of OUAZ (Ariz.) 6-1, 6-1 in the first round and Miah Webb of Marymount 6-4, 4-6, (10-8).
 
In the semifinal, Wilson took on fellow teammate Cade Pierson who is Westmont's number one player and team captain. Pierson won the first set 6-2 before Wilson rallied and won the second set 6-4. A super-tiebreaker was played to determine the outcome with Wilson prevailing 10-3.
 
"Erin had a tough match against Cade and they both battled it out," said Johnson. "Erin made some great changes from the first set to the second set, which is pretty impressive as a freshman to be able to keep her mind in check and make changes. Especially because I wasn't coaching either of them during that match. It was a great performance.
 
"As a coach, I was excited for Erin but disappointed and I felt compassion for Cade whom I have coached for four years. It was tough match for Cade and she tightened up a little bit, which she is disappointed in. I was very torn."
 
Pierson, the number two seed in the single's bracket, had also received a first round bye. In the second round, Pierson disposed of San Diego Christian's Tatiana Harvey 6-1, 6-4. In the quarterfinals, Pierson defeated Barbara Damiani of San Diego Christian 6-4, 6-3 to set up the semifinal showdown.
 
"Cade is such a great competitor," offered Johnson. "She hasn't been feeling her strongest in terms of tennis the past few weeks, but she came out and competed super hard. She is the kind of player that even with the rain delays, she is ready to play from the first ball. She is an amazing leader in the way that she plays and also in the way she treats her teammates and her opponents."
 
In the championship match Wilson defeated San Diego Christian's Angie Rinald 6-2, 6-1.

"Erin stayed focused in the finals," observed Johnson. "We had two pauses because of drizzle and wetness. After a weekend in the rain, it was impressive for her to fight through that and set up the points well and stay focus on what she needed to do."
 
Westmont entered six players in the single's tournament. Emily Peterson claimed a first-round victory over Hailey McNall of Marymount, winning 6-0, 6-0.
 
Meanwhile, Sidney Lowry defeated Jessica Ulloa of Hope International 6-1, 6-1 in the first round.
 
That set up an all-Westmont second-round match-up between and Peterson and Lowry in which Peterson prevailed 6-4, 3-6, (10-7).
 
Peterson advanced to the quarterfinals where she fell 6-2, 6-4 to Sarah Urbanek of San Diego Christian, the number one seed.
 
Also playing in the singles bracket was Westmont freshman Christine Hemry who fell in the first round to Webb 6-1, 6-4.
 
In single's bracket play, Westmont players posted a record of 9-2 against non-Westmont opponents.
 
"It was a great tournament for our team," said Johnson. "We had four players in the singles' quarterfinals and had quite a few rounds where our team was playing each other, which was an interesting dynamic at the tournament.
 
"I am excited with where or team is at," continued the coach. "This tournament is so early in the year and exposes the areas in which we need to work. It is also motivating and the players are excited. We expect to compete with San Diego Christian at the top of the conference again this year. So, it is exciting to put in the work in the coming months."
 
Prior to facing off against each other in the semifinals, Pierson and Wilson played on the same side of the net in the semifinals of the doubles bracket. The Westmont pair, however, fell to McNall and Webb of Marymount 8-5.
 
"Cade and Erin had a frustrating loss today," said Johnson of the doubles match. "It was a weird and frustrating match. It was a winnable match, and if they had won, I think they would have had a great shot at taking the doubles finals."
 
After a first-round bye, Pierson and Erin defeated Nadine Heckert and Ashley Duncan of Saint Katherine 8-1 in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals.
 
Jackson and Hemry pared up in the doubles and secured an 8-4 first-round victory over Jensen Barnes and Hannah White of Marymount. In the quarterfinals, Jackson and Hemry fell to Damiani and Valentina Sottile of San Diego Christian 8-3.
 
Also playing in the doubles tournament were Lowry and Peterson. After a first round bye, the pair lost to McNall and Webb 8-7 (5) in the semifinals.
 
"I am proud of our players and their attitude," said Johnson. "I'm proud of the way they responded to so much waiting around and the annoyance and frustration of very unexpected weather. No one thought this was going to be what the weekend was like. I'm proud of our team for having a positive attitude. Tonight at nine o'clock, the whole team was out there and cheering for Erin when everyone thought we would be home and in bed by that time."
 
As a result of winning the singles west region championship, Wilson will advance to the 2019 ITA Cup that will be held in Rome, Georgia, October 17-20.