Women's Tennis

Wesleyan Goes Unbeaten in NESCAC Women's Tennis to Grab Top Seed in Championship

HADLEY, Mass. – The Wesleyan Cardinals went 10-0 in NESCAC play for the third time in five seasons and posted the eighth unbeaten record in NESCAC Women’s Tennis since 2007-08 to secure the No. 1 seed for the 2026 NESCAC Women’s Tennis Championship.

The top eight teams based on regular-season round-robin conference play qualified for the tournament. All matches will be played at Middlebury College, with quarterfinals set for Friday, May 1. The semifinals will be played on Saturday, May 2, and the championship match is set for Sunday, May 3.
 
2025 NESCAC Championship Recap
The top-seeded Middlebury women's tennis team captured the program's first NESCAC Championship with a 4-1 victory over four-time reigning champion second-seeded Wesleyan. The Panthers became the fourth team in league history to hoist the trophy.

NESCAC Championship History
Four programs have earned the NESCAC trophy in women’s tennis. Williams leads all teams with 10 titles (last: 2018). Amherst has won the trophy nine times (last: 2014), and Wesleyan owns five titles (last: 2024). Middlebury won its first NESCAC crown last season.
 
From 2001, when the NESCAC formally became a playing conference, to 2005, the NESCAC Championship was played in a flighted format. The tournament moved to its current format of seeded teams in 2006.
 
No. 1 Wesleyan (15-2, 10-0 NESCAC) vs. No. 8 Colby (7-10, 3-7 NESCAC)
  • Wesleyan, the 2025 NESCAC Runners-Up, is the top seed for the third time in program history and second time in three years.
  • Wesleyan has won 11 straight matches and 15 of its last 16 contests.
  • Colby is making its fifth straight appearance in the NESCAC Championship.
  • The Mules are the No. 8 seed for the first time since 2023.
  • Colby is seeking to advance out of the first round for the first time since the championship moved to its current format in 2006.
  • Wesleyan defeated Colby, 6-1, on April 11. The teams will meet in the quarterfinals for the second straight tournament. The Cardinals posted a 4-0 victory last season.
Tiebreaker: Bowdoin and Middlebury finished with identical conference records of 8-2. In head-to-head competition, Bowdoin defeated Middlebury to earn the No. 2 seed.

No. 2 Bowdoin (11-6, 8-2 NESCAC) vs. No. 7 Hamilton (10-7, 4-6 NESCAC)
  • The Polar Bears have qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the fifth year in a row and the 24th time overall.
  • Bowdoin is the No. 2 seed, the highest seed the program has achieved in team history.
  • The Polar Bears enter the tournament having won three straight matches and four out of their last five contests.
  • Hamilton has qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the fourth straight season and is the No. 7 seed for the second time in four championships.
  • Hamilton’s 10 overall wins are the most since the 2018-19 campaign
  • Bowdoin posted a 6-1 win over the Continentals on the opening weekend of the spring season. The quarterfinal marks the first time the teams will square off in the NESCAC Tournament.
No. 3 Middlebury (12-5, 8-2 NESCAC) vs. No. 6 Williams (11-7, 5-5 NESCAC)
  • Middlebury, the defending NESCAC Champion, is the No. 2 seed for the second time in three tournaments.
  • The Panthers are making their 24th appearance in the NESCAC Championships.
  • Middlebury has won six of its last seven matches entering the tournament.
  • Williams is the No. 6 seed for the second consecutive season and is in the tournament for the fifth year in a row and the 24th time overall.
  • Middlebury defeated Williams, 7-0, on April 4. The Ephs own a 7-1advantage in the NESCAC Tournament series. The Panthers won the most recent match, 5-1, in the 2023 semifinal round.
No. 4 Amherst (10-6, 7-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 5 Tufts (12-5, 7-3 NESCAC)
  • Amherst is the No. 4 seed for the third time in five tournaments.
  • The Mammoths are playing in their 24th NESCAC Championship.
  • Amherst has advanced to the semifinals four straight years.
  • Tufts is the No. 5 seed for the third consecutive tournament and is also playing in its 24th NESCAC Tournament.
  • The Jumbos are looking to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2022.
  • On March 29, Amherst pulled out a 4-3 victory over Tufts and win the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Mammoths improved to 6-2 against the Jumbos in the NESCAC Championship with a 4-3 win in last year’s quarterfinals.