AMHERST, MA (May 3, 2008) -- Despite winning two of the three doubles matches, Vassar's women's tennis team lost four singles matches against rallying Bowdoin College, and lost its second round NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship match, 5-2, indoors at Mount Holyoke College.

Vassar's season ends at 16-5, while Bowdoin improves to 13-7, and faces host Amherst on Sunday at 12:30 pm in third round play.

For the first time in the Amherst Regional, doubles play was neck and neck deep into the sets. In the top match, Bowdoin's Kristen Raymond (Dover, MA) and Sarah D'Elia (Fairfield, CT) held on to break serve for an 8-6 win over the Brewers combo of Elysa Kliman (Toronto, ON) and Krista Romita (Baltimore, MD).

Just moments later, Vassar returned the favor as the team of Nicole Pontee (Flossmoor, IL) and Jamison Steele (Newport Beach, CA) broke serve to edge Bowdoin's Brett Davis (Larchmont, NY) and Rachel Waldman (Pittsford, NY) 9-7. The hard fought win knotted the match at 1-1, with just the number three doubles match in progress.

In the third and final doubles spot, Vassar's Kelly Barnett (Toronto, ON) and Courtney Burks (Decorah, IA) took an 8-6 win over Polar Bears Kaitlin Raymond (Dover, MA) and Liz Pedowitz (Briarcliff, NY). The win put Vassar up 2-1 heading into singles play over the higher seeded Bowdoin side.

In singles play, Bowdoin started off on fire, taking a commanding lead in the top five singles bouts. Every Polar Bear player closed out the first set, except in the number six match where Vassar's Burks won a marathon set 6-4.

The first Bowdoin player to win a second set and take their match was number three Kaitlin Raymond, who topped Kliman 6-4, 6-1 to tie the team match 2-2. In a matter of minutes, Bowdoin reeled off three more singles victories at the one, two and four spots as Kristen Raymond, D'Elia, and Davis all won.

In the number five match, Waldman was leading Vassar's Jacobson 6-0, 2-6, and 1-0 as play was halted. Vassar's Burks was leading Pedowitz 2-0 in the second set after taking the first frame 6-4 as well.

Bowdoin 5, Vassar 2

Doubles
1) Raymond/D'Elia (B) def. Kliman/Romita (V) 8-6
2) Pontee/Steele (V) def. Davis/Waldman (B) 9-7
3) Barnett/Burks (V) def. Raymond/Pedowitz (B) 8-6

Singles
1) Kristen Raymond (B) def. Nicole Pontee (V) 6-1, 6-3
2) Sarah D'Elia (B) def. Kelly Barnett (V) 6-3, 6-0
3) Kaitlin Raymond (B) def. Elysa Kliman (V) 6-4, 6-1
4) Brett Davis (B) def. Krista Romita (V) 6-2, 6-2
5) Rachel Waldman (B) leading Alexis Jacobson (V) 6-0, 2-6, 1-0
6) Courtney Burks (V) leading Liz Pedowitz (B) 6-4, 2-0