In the first NCAA same-team doubles championship match since 2012, junior Fiona Crawley and sophomore Carson Tanguilig clinched the match against freshman Reese Brantmeier and senior Elizabeth Scotty to become the 2023 NCAA doubles champions.
What happened?
Crawley and Tanguilig commanded the first set early by only giving up one game against Brantmeier and Scotty. While Crawley and Tanguilig appeared to be in perfect unison throughout the first set, Brantmeier and Scotty struggled to find their groove. With Brantmeier and Scotty overshooting, hitting balls out of play and losing deciding points, Crawley and Tanguilig secured an early and assertive lead with a 6-1 finish in a little over 30 minutes of play.
Refusing to suffer the same fate again, Brantmeier and Scotty opened the second set looking completely different. Not only did they win the first two games, but they held Crawley and Tanguilig to under 30 in most games. Though Brantmeier and Scotty gave up the third game, they quickly won the fourth after Crawley doubled faulted. In the middle of the second set, Brantmeier and Scotty led 3-1. Tanguilig and Crawley secured a second game point later, but they were unable to overtake Brantmeier and Scotty, who won the second set 6-2.
In the third set, Crawley and Tanguilig opened with the same fire they had in the first set. After a few minutes of play, they quickly took a 5-1 lead. Refusing to give up the match, Brantmeier and Scotty went on a run to keep the score within one game. As both pairings approached the end of the match, Brantmeier and Scotty worked to take the lead and tied Crawley and Tanguilig three separate times. These efforts proved to be in vain after Crawley and Tanguilig won the last two points in the third set tiebreaker, 11-9, to take the set and match.
Who stood out?
Crawley and Tanguilig played with the same ease and efficiency that they have all season. After losing the second set and facing three separate ties, the pair remained calm and in command. Brantmeier and Scotty were never able to overtake the mechanical pair in the third set.
When was it decided?
After taking an early 5-1 lead in the third set and refusing to let Brantmeier and Scotty gain the lead at any point, Crawley and Tanguilig remained assertive throughout the set and the entire match. Even with losing the second set 2-6, Crawley and Tanguilig were able to clinch the match like they have been doing all season.
