ST. LOUIS -- DePauw opened NCAA Division III championship play with a 5-1 win against No. 25 Wisconsin-Whitewater and advanced to the third round of the tournament.
The Tigers improved to 19-4 and will face ninth-ranked Washington (Mo.) at 2 p.m. ET Saturday. The Bears blanked Grinnell 5-0. DePauw and Washington will meet for the fourth time this year as the Bears won two of the three previous meetings this season. Wisconsin-Whitewater finished its season at 21-6.
In Friday's second-round win, Meg Crowley and Claire Marshall put the Tigers on the board first with an 8-4 win against Megan Humphreys and Amy Upthagrove at second doubles before the third duo of Kaitlin Pickrel and Julie Wittwer topped Jessica Vitale and Erika Williams 8-6. Caroline Emhardt and Maggie MacPhail dropped an 8-6 decision to Alexandra Bayliss and Jackie Vitale, giving DePauw a 2-1 lead headed into singles play.
Witter took care of Vitale at sixth singles 6-1, 6-0 before Emhardt did the same at fifth singles over Upthatrove 6-3, 6-4. MacPhail wrapped up the win with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph versus Bayliss at first singles.
