The 13th-ranked Case Western Reserve University women's tennis team saw its championship run end in the Third Round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship, as CWRU fell to the third-ranked University of Chicago 5-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Warhawk Outdoor Courts in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

The Spartans conclude the season with a record of 15-7 in dual matches, with three of those losses coming to the Maroons. Chicago, who will advance to the national quarterfinals, improved to 20-1 on the year.

Despite a loss in the team championship, the season is not over for the CWRU women's tennis team. Juniors Hannah Kassaie and Lily McCloskey will represent Case Western Reserve at the national singles and doubles championships at the end of the month. The duo will compete in the doubles draw for the third consecutive season, and Kassaie was selected to the singles tournament for the third year in a row.

Chicago won the first two points in doubles play, taking the second doubles match 8-2 and the first doubles match 8-4. At second doubles, sophomore Katalina Wang and junior Radha Patel fell to 15th-ranked Slywia Mikos and Shianna Guo, and at first doubles, fourth-ranked Kassaie and McCloskey lost to top-ranked Rena Lin and Oliwia Mikos.

CWRU earned a point at third doubles to halve the deficit. Senior Pallavi Goculdas and junior Anna Kan defeated Nika Vesely and Lauren Khou 8-5 to make the overall score 2-1 in favor of the Maroons heading into singles play.

Chicago won the first two singles points with victories on courts five and six and ended the match with a 6-1, 6-1, triumph on court two.

When the match ended, the Spartans either led or were close to tying scores on the three remaining courts. Kan led Brooke Pedersen 6-3, 3-5, at fourth singles, and Kassaie, ranked ninth in Division III, trailed Lin, ranked 23rd in Division III, 2-6, 5-4, at first singles. At third singles, Wang was behind Vesely, ranked 42nd in the country, 1-6, 3-2.

Kassaie and McCloskey will learn their opponents when the full draw of the 32-player singles championship and 16-team doubles bracket are released by the NCAA on Wednesday, May 22. First and second round action in both tournaments will begin on Saturday, May 25 with national champions crowned on Monday, May 27.