Caltech Women’s Tennis Posted Clutch Performances, No. 16 National Ranking in 2023

The nationally-ranked Caltech women’s tennis team made major impressions in 2023, picking up seven wins over ranked teams en route to a tie for the conference’s third-best record. It was a full season of accomplishments for the group, who reached as high as 16th in the nation and fifth in the region among Division III schools.

In the national end-of-season poll, Caltech came in as the third-highest ranked SCIAC team, with one Beaver achieving a national singles ranking; one other player would earn prestigious All-Conference honors by the coaches of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). It was the third straight full season that the team finished with nine or more wins.

In July, the squad earned All-Academic Team honors with 10 players also attaining Scholar-Athlete recognition.

With head coach Benay Weintraub at the helm, the group showed off its training and preparation from the start of the campaign through the final point of the season.

The Beavers’ first win would come on Mar. 2 in a home matchup versus the University of Mary Washington, with Caltech earning the 6-3 victory over the No. 14-ranked guests.

Facing a 0-3 deficit after doubles, the Beavers dominated singles play, winning all six individual matches to scoop the huge comeback win. Junior Emily Zhang clinched the match on Court 1 with a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-0 score.

The team’s victory marked the start of a massive five-game winning streak for the Beavers, who would go on to defeat No. 30 Vassar College by a score of 5-4, No. 23 Christopher Newport University, 6-3, and No. 17 Washington University, 5-4. The group made it five-in-a-row with a win over Whitman College, 5-4.

“I’m so proud of this team” said Weintraub after the match. “The laser focus and motivation to win, not only for themselves but for the team, is what our culture is all about. It’s those details that make a winning difference.”

Following their exceptional string of wins, the team reached the No. 16 spot in the national rankings — a record for the program. They slotted in at the No. 5 spot in the regional rankings.

The group would tackle Whittier College in their conference home opener on Apr. 1, sweeping the Poets 9-0 in a strong display of both doubles and singles prowess. Sophomore Payal Patel grabbed the clinch on Court 5, picking up the 6-0, 6-1 win.

The team would then produce one of its most significant wins of the season on Apr. 7, as the Beavers clashed with the University of Redlands Bulldogs on the road. Doubles saw junior Athena Kolli and Patel earn the team’s lone doubles point, as the duo grabbed a narrow 8-6 victory in third doubles.

Down 1-2 in the team score, the group needed to win an ambitious four of the six singles matchups to take home the team victory – but the Beavers did one better, winning on five of the six courts to score the 6-3 win. Patel gave the team its first singles win of the day on Court 5 after topping her opponent 6-3, 6-3. First-year Anna Szczuka finished a few minutes later, nabbing the 6-2, 6-4 win on Court 6.

Sophomore Yoyo Benchetrit put in a strong performance in second singles; after dropping the first set 4-6, the Toronto native connected on several impressive shots in key second and third-set games. The star, who ranked 18th in the region at the time of competition, put up a pair of 6-3 set scores to nab the head-to-head victory over a player who was later named First Team All-SCIAC.

The Beavers got their clinch a few moments later, as Zhang — who ranked No. 17 in the region at the time of play — topped her regional No. 15 opponent in a three-set, Court 1 battle. Zhang recovered from a 0-6 first set loss brilliantly, surging ahead to a 6-3 win in the second set and a 6-2 score in the decider to secure the come-from-behind victory for herself and the team. Senior Nina Solovyeva would add one more point to the score in the day’s final match, topping her opponent 7-5, 6-3.

The team collected another conference win in its penultimate match of the season, as the team hosted Cal Lutheran University for Caltech’s Senior Day matchup. The group honored its lone senior, Solovyeva, with a dedicated ceremony prior to the match.

This clash saw the Beavers get out in front after doubles, with Benchetrit and Solovyeva grabbing an 8-4 win in the second spot before Kolli and Patel earned an 8-4 win of their own on Court 3.

Sophomore Anika Arora made it three points with a swift 6-0, 6-1 score in third doubles. Benchetrit finished her opponent 6-0, 6-2 on Court 2 before Solovyeva clinched the match on Court 4, finishing her last match on campus with a 6-1, 6-1 victory. Patel made it one more in the five spot, picking up the 6-1, 6-2 win.

With one more regular season match on the calendar, it was only appropriate the Beavers would face their rivals, the No. 40 Occidental College Tigers. Despite facing their foes on the road, the Beavers controlled the contest, picking up the 8-1 win to cap their successful season. Highlighting the action was the strong play of Zhang in first singles, who upset the ninth-ranked player in the region after grabbing a 6-1 score to open the match and a 6-2 score in the second.

Solovyeva ended her collegiate career with a Court 4 win, winning 11 straight games after going down 2-5 before coming back for the 7-5 victory in Set 1 and the 6-0 cleanup in Set 2.

Zhang finished the year with three singles wins over regionally-ranked opponents, including one over the then-No. 3-ranked player in the region, who would later be named No. 22 in the nation in the end-of-season poll. Zhang came in at No. 11 in the region and No. 38 nationally in the final rankings.

Benchetrit’s 11 singles wins led the team in 2023; she registered an exceptional 11-3 record on the year with a near-perfect 4-1 record in SCIAC action, playing mainly at the second spot.

At the season’s close, Benchetrit was awarded Second Team All-SCIAC for her phenomenal performances versus in-conference opponents. She finished the year at 20th in the region in singles play.

Benchetrit along with Solovyeva and Patel led the team in doubles wins this season with seven a piece.

Solovyeva graduates from Caltech with 21 singles wins in three seasons of play, as the team did not compete in 2021 due to COVID. She won the conference’s Women’s Tennis Character Award at the conclusion of the season.

Weintraub was thoroughly pleased with how the team performed over the course of the spring.

“This season has been one for the history books, and I am honored to be a part of it,” said the coach after their final match of the season. “Our team’s culture is about grit and focus — I’m so proud of how we finished the season together and have generated a lot of buzz surrounding where we will go.”

Off the court, four student-athletes scored Women’s Tennis Academic All-District honors. The team would earn All-Academic Team honors by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in July, with 10 of its players also achieving individual Scholar-Athlete recognition.

With the majority of the team returning next season, the Beavers will look to continue building as they take on 2024. Stay tuned to GoCaltech.com for an official newcomer and schedule release later this month.

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