CLAREMONT, Calif. -- The second-seeded doubles team of Jordan Brewer and Gabby Devlin of Amherst captured their second consecutive NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Doubles Championship on Saturday.
Brewer and Devlin, both seniors, won a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 battle with the third-seeded team of Katie Kuosman and Caroline Ward from the host Claremont-M-S Athenas at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.
There were a couple of other important facts concerning the Lord Jeffs' victory. It marked the third overall time the Amherst duo captured the championship, and the fourth in a row for Devlin. The last Division III women's player to win four in a row was Mary Ellen Gordon of Emory, from 2001-04.
Devlin and Brewer won the crown in 2011. The following year, Devlin teamed up with Laura Danzig. Her regular partner, Brewer, had an appendectomy. Last year, Devlin and Brewer took home the trophy with a win against Ward and Kristin Lim."Consistency," was the first answer from Devlin, when asked how she has won four national championships in a row. "I love doubles. For some reason. I play very well in doubles. I don't know why I serve better in doubles, and my groundstrokes are better. I think it's trusting your instinct. You can't second-guess yourself. And, I have a great partner."
Brewer, who lost in the singles final earlier in the day to Gabrielle Clark of Emory, added her thoughts on the success of the doubles team.
"We have been playing together since freshman year," Brewer said. "We just understand how the other moves on the court. In general, we know what do."
The Amherst tandem also developed a new motto: "Keep it simple. Simple tennis wins. And, just fight until the end. No matter what you do before everything, just win the last point."
In the singles championship, Clark, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, beat the third-seeded Brewer 6-2, 6-1. Clark previously claimed the NCAA title, in 2012, and became the first African-American woman to win an individual championship, in any division.
"It felt good to come back this spring semester and go out on top," said Clark, who suffered injuries in the fall semester. "I was undefeated in DIII this year. Last year in the team competition, I played my hardest opponents. I had very tough opponents in the team tournament,. and then went on to individuals. I think the team matches were not as strong this year, and my body was a little more fresh."
Emory won the team championship on Wednesday, beating Amherst 5-1. Clark played No. 1 singles and beat Brewer in straight sets. Amherst's only point came at No. 1 doubles, with Brewer and Devlin besting Clark and Michelle Satterfield.
Clark and her teammates contributed to the Eagles' sixth national team championship.
