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Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Case Western Reserve University Athletics

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2023 women's tennis team at NCAAs

Women's Tennis

2022-23 CWRU Women’s Tennis Season Recap

The Case Western Reserve University women's tennis team followed up a historic 2021-22 season with another trip to the NCAA Championship, with two players named All-Americans for the second straight season. The Spartans finished the campaign with a record of 15-6 in dual matches, including nine wins without conceding a team point.

After a regular season during which the team won 14 duals, CWRU was selected as an at-large team to the 2023 NCAA Championship. The Spartans traveled to Lexington, Virginia, to face Transylvania in the First Round. With a 5-0 win, the team secured its second straight trip to the Second Round of the tournament and its second-ever postseason victory. Facing 12th-ranked Sewanee, the 13th-ranked Spartans dropped a thrilling 5-4 match to end their season.

Sophomores Hannah Kassaie and Lily McCloskey represented the team at the NCAA Individual Championships later in the season. Kassaie, seeded fifth, made a historic run in the singles championship, becoming the first player in program history to reach the quarterfinals. She won her first round matchup 6-1, 6-1, and advanced out of the round of 16 with a win by medical forfeit. In the quarterfinals, Kassaie faced top-seeded Olivia Soffer of Babson. After dropping the first set 3-6, she forced a decisive third set with a 6-4 win in set two. However, her season ended in the quarterfinal with a 4-6 loss in the third set.

Making their second appearance in the doubles championship, the second-seeded duo of Kassaie and McCloskey fell in the round of 16, 4-6, 4-6. Kassaie earned her third and fourth career All-America honors with the singles and doubles appearances, while McCloskey received her second career All-America honor with the doubles appearance.

Of the team's 21 dual matches, 14 were against teams ranked in the ITA Top 35. The Spartans went 8-6 in those matches, including three wins by sweep over #17 Transylvania, #29 Denison, and #23 Christopher Newport. In February, CWRU traveled to Washington and Lee for the Blue Gray Invite, winning all three matches against ranked opponents.

The following month, the team was invited to the ITA National Indoor Championship at the Top Seed Tennis Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The Spartans, seeded eighth, played three tight matches against the best teams in Division III, falling to eventual national champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 6-3, national semifinalist Emory 5-4, and national quarterfinalist Carnegie Mellon 5-4.

CWRU placed sixth in the University Athletic Association, going 1-2 at the UAA Championship Tournament in late April. Kassaie was named to the All-UAA First Team for her play at first singles and first doubles, and McCloskey earned All-UAA First Team honors at first doubles and All-UAA Second Team honors at second singles. Sophomore Radha Patel and first-year Katalina Wang were named to the Second Team for their play at second doubles, with each earning All-UAA honorable mention for singles play.

Kassaie won the NCAA Elite 90 Award at the national championships and was named the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Division III Women's Tennis. She went 20-3 in singles play and 21-6 in doubles play, ending the season ranked sixth nationally in singles and third nationally in doubles.

McCloskey, a CSC Academic All-America First Team selection, ended the season with a 15-8 record in singles play and 21-6 record in doubles play. She was ranked 35th nationally as a singles player and third nationally as a doubles player at the end of the season by the ITA.

Patel went 19-7 in singles play during the season, including an 11-5 record in dual matches. In doubles play, she had an overall record of 15-8 with a 12-5 mark at second doubles. Academically, she was named to the Academic All-District Team. In the fall, Patel won the consolation bracket of the main draw of the Fall ITA Regional Championship, going 5-1 in the tournament.

In her first season of collegiate play, Wang had a record of 15-9 in singles play and an overall record of 15-8 in doubles play. As the team's fourth singles player, she went 8-4, and in the second doubles slot, she had a mark of 12-5.

Other top players during the season include junior Chloe Ku (10-1 in singles matches and 4-0 in doubles matches), first-year Asha Shukla (12-5 in singles play and 5-4 in doubles play), and first-year Ellior Rose (7-0 singles record and 4-0 doubles record).

In the classroom, Kassaie, McCloskey, Patel, and junior Pallavi Goculdas earned CSC Academic All-District honors. In addition, 10 members of the team—Goculdas, senior Nina Hoog, junior Caitlyn Hsu, sophomore Anna Kan, Kassaie, Ku, McCloskey, Patel, senior Shreya Ramani, and junior Katherine Wang —received UAA All-Academic recognition.

The Spartans earned the following honors during the 2022-23 season:
College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Division III Women's Tennis Team Member of the Year
Hannah Kassaie Sophomore Cleveland, Ohio
 
CSC Academic All-America
Hannah Kassaie First Team
Lily McCloskey First Team
 
CSC Academic All-District
Pallavi Goculdas First Team
Hannah Kassaie First Team
Lily McCloskey First Team
Radha Patel First Team
 
ITA All-American
Hannah Kassaie Singles, Doubles
Lily McCloskey Doubles
 
NCAA Championship Participant
Hannah Kassaie Singles (Quarterfinals), Doubles (Round of 16)
Lily McCloskey Doubles (Round of 16)
 
NCAA Elite 90 Award
Hannah Kassaie Nutrition
 
ITA Division III Central Region Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award
Pallavi Goculdas Junior
 
All-UAA
Hannah Kassaie First Team (First Singles, First Doubles)
Lily McCloskey First Team (First Doubles), Second Team (Second Singles)
Radha Patel Second Team (Second Doubles), Honorable Mention (Third Singles)
Katalina Wang Second Team (Second Doubles), Honorable Mention (Fourth Singles)
 
UAA All-Academic Recognition
Pallavi Goculdas
Nina Hoog
Caitlyn Hsu
Anna Kan
Hannah Kassaie
Chloe Ku
Lily McCloskey
Radha Patel
Shreya Ramani
Katherine Wang
 
UAA Athlete of the Week
Hannah Kassaie February 13, February 20, April 14, May 22
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Players Mentioned

Pallavi Goculdas

Pallavi Goculdas

5' 7"
Junior
Nina Hoog

Nina Hoog

5' 8"
Senior
Caitlyn Hsu

Caitlyn Hsu

5' 2"
Junior
Anna Kan

Anna Kan

5' 7"
Sophomore
Hannah Kassaie

Hannah Kassaie

5' 5"
Sophomore
Chloe Ku

Chloe Ku

5' 4"
Junior
Lily McCloskey

Lily McCloskey

5' 4"
Sophomore
Radha Patel

Radha Patel

5' 4"
Sophomore
Shreya Ramani

Shreya Ramani

5' 6"
Senior
Ellior Rose

Ellior Rose

5' 7"
First-Year
Asha Shukla

Asha Shukla

5' 7"
First-Year
Katalina Wang

Katalina Wang

5' 9"
First-Year

Players Mentioned

Pallavi Goculdas

Pallavi Goculdas

5' 7"
Junior
Nina Hoog

Nina Hoog

5' 8"
Senior
Caitlyn Hsu

Caitlyn Hsu

5' 2"
Junior
Anna Kan

Anna Kan

5' 7"
Sophomore
Hannah Kassaie

Hannah Kassaie

5' 5"
Sophomore
Chloe Ku

Chloe Ku

5' 4"
Junior
Lily McCloskey

Lily McCloskey

5' 4"
Sophomore
Radha Patel

Radha Patel

5' 4"
Sophomore
Shreya Ramani

Shreya Ramani

5' 6"
Senior
Ellior Rose

Ellior Rose

5' 7"
First-Year
Asha Shukla

Asha Shukla

5' 7"
First-Year
Katalina Wang

Katalina Wang

5' 9"
First-Year