The women's tennis team won in both the A and B flight consolation brackets at the New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament Championships in the team's final tournament of the fall season.For the NEWITT Championships, each school is allowed to send pairs of athletes to compete. In each match, a pair plays one doubles match, and each competitor plays a single match. To move on, a school must win two out of three games. The Judges sent three pairs: co-captain Rachel Rosman '11 and Faith Broderick '13, Nina Levine '12 and co-captain Mackenzie Gallegos '11, and rookies Ally Bernstein '14 and Alexa Katz '14.

In the Gail Smith A Flight, Rosman and Broderick were pitted against the No. 2 Tufts University team of senior Julia Browne and freshman Shelci Bowman in the round of 32. Rosman and Brodeick fell in the doubles match 8-6, and despite Rosman defeating Bowman in her singles match, Broderick could not claim a victory over nationally ranked Browne, the pair fell 2-1.

Coach Ben Lamanna noted that the match was very close throughout, especially at the end of the match.

"The girls were happy with the way it finished, but they would have liked to face Browne and Bowman in the quarterfinals or semifinals," said Lamanna. "It came down to just a few points in singles play. It was 7-6 and Faith [Broderick] got broken on her serve. It happened really quick[ly]."

Despite an early exit from the A flight, Rosman and Broderick left their mark in the A flight consolation. The team easily handled sophomore Sam Carney and freshman Jen Cleary from Springfield College 3-0, followed by another 3-0 victory against Babson College freshman Sarah Whitaker and junior Rebecca Stone.

After winning their semifinal match, Broderick and Rosman both won their singles matches and took the doubles match 8-6 for a 3-0 victory, propelling them into the a finals duel against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, MIT withdrew from the match, earning the Judges a victory in the A flight consolation bracket.

In the Chris Davis B flight, the Judges featured both their second and third pairs of competitors. Gallegos and Levine, ranked No. 3 in the bracket, opened their tournament action with a match against Smith College seniors Maggie Steiner and Nikki Anderson, which the pair easily won 3-0. In the round of 16, they faced a strong team from Wheaton College and fell 2-1, having to contend not only with the Wheaton team, but also with heavy winds.

In the consolation bracket, Gallegos and Levine won their first match 3-0 against Smith College juniors Jaime Inskeep and Gianna Teague. Substituting Bernstein for Gallegos in her singles match, the team took home a win in the consolation bracket by defeating Mount Holyoke College senior Eilise Marifian and freshman Maya Satarath 3-0.

Katz and Bernstein opened their B flight action against a Curry College duo and quickly took the match 3-0. Unfortunately, the team was defeated 3-0 in the round of 16 by the No. 1 Tufts team comprised of sophomore Lauren Hollender and freshman Samantha Gann, the pair that would go to win the win the B Flight bracket. Katz and Bernstein won their first match of consolation play, defeating Wellesley College freshman Morgan Johnstonbaugh and freshman Raji Nagalia 3-0. Katz twisted her ankle following the match, forcing the duo to retire.

Despite the early exit, Lamanna noted the importance the rookies have had on the team.

"The freshmen turned out to be a strategically important part of the team, and they have shown improvement and a commitment to hard work every day."

The women closed out their fall season 2-0 in dual matches and will have a long break until they, along with the men's team, travel to California for a series of dual matches in February.

Lamanna is proud of the women's season, but is confident that they can improve even more during the offseason period.

"We are going to focus on improving fitness and lifting weights as part of a new strength and conditioning program happening at Brandeis," said Lamanna. "The upperclassmen will also develop good leadership skills, and everyone will be working hard and improving at least 4 days a week.