Dakota Fordham (New York, NY/Laurel Springs School (CA)) and
Carol Plakk's (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentese Spordigümnaasium) first fall season of collegiate tennis concluded in resounding fashion as they won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Cup Doubles National Championship for the first time in program history.
"I'm so happy for Carol and Dakota," said Head Coach
Horace Choy. "They faced a lot of challenges in this tournament and overcame them all. I am so proud of how hard they fought. It was not an easy final, but they hung tough and came through at the big points."
Being held at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, GA, from Thursday, October 14, to Saturday, October 16, the 2021 ITA Cup was a return to full competition at the event as the 2020 tournament only featured NAIA programs due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"Carol and Dakota are so deserving because they've worked so hard since the first day of practice," Choy added. "They're very focused and have really earned this and worked so hard towards this moment."
The two newcomers to New York University's Women's Tennis Team had an impressive run to reach the title match, coming from behind in the quarterfinals and winning in straight sets in the semis that set up a championship clash between two University Athletic Association (UAA) teams.
"It was another difficult match, but again we toughed it out," said Fordham. "Overall, the tournament itself was well-run and lots of fun. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to play and super happy that we were able to bring the title to NYU."
Fordham and Plakk faced off against the University of Chicago's Sylwia Mikos and Shianna Guo in the title match, winning 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-3 to claim the national doubles crown.
"I am very happy to win the nationals with Dakota," Plakk said. "I feel like we're a good team. We always have good energy and read each other's games well."
The ITA Cup concluded the Violets' fall schedule, and they return to the court on February 25, 2022, for a dual match at Swarthmore College.
