NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale's doubles team of
Jessie Gong and
Samantha Martinelli made history last fall, winning the ITA All-American Championship. The duo became the first Ivy League women in either singles or doubles to win the title. On Tuesday they added another historic accomplishment to their memorable season, becoming the first Bulldogs to earn All-America honors.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced its All-Americans, and Gong and Martinelli were one of just 10 doubles teams across the nation selected.
"This is a historic milestone in our program, and I'm so proud of Sam and Jessie and all that they accomplished this year," said
Danielle Lund McNamara, the Swensen-McMahon Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "Yale is not an easy place to make history and they did just that with the resume they put together this season on the court! This is just a great example of what we're striving for as a team, which is to compete at the highest level of D1 tennis while also succeeding at one of the most rigorous academic institutions in the country. Sam and Jessie are the epitome of student-athletes and I'm excited for them to get another shot to play together again next year."
The duo enjoyed a remarkable season, reaching as high as No. 3 in the ITA national rankings. They burst onto the national scene in October at the ITA All-American Championship. In reaching the final, they beat teams from Furman, Texas A&M, North Carolina and Central Florida. In the championship match, Gong and Martinelli took down the Tennessee duo of Tenika McGiffin and Kaitlin Staines, winning in thrilling fashion 2-6, 6-3, 10-8.
The two also posted a number of impressive victories over the course of the season, including wins over teams from Auburn at the prestigious Blue Gray Classic and Florida Atlantic. In addition, they went undefeated at the fall Michigan Invitational, including a 7-5 win over the Wolverine duo. Those three victories were part of an 11-match winning streak for the two in the fall.
Gong and Martinelli's success helped lead to a memorable year for the Bulldogs, who moved into the ITA National rankings (No. 35) for the first time since 2004 and finished with a 9-3 overall record before the season prematurely ended due to the COVID-19 public health threat.
ITA Women's Doubles All-Americans
- Jessie Gong & Samantha Martinelli, Yale
- Petra Hule & Victoria Allen, Florida State
- Eleni Christofi & Vivian Wolff, Georgia
- Victoria Flores & Kenya Jones, Georgia Tech
- Alana Smith & Anna Rogers, NC State
- Sara Daavettila & Alexa Graham, North Carolina
- Ayumi Miyamoto & Lisa Marie Rioux, Oklahoma State
- Rebeka Stolmar & Marie Mattel, UCF
- Elysia Bolton & Jada Hart, UCLA
- Eliza Omirou & Mary Caroline Meredith, Wake Forest
