KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Luke Trinka battled back to force a tiebreaker in the second set at third singles to pick up the pivotal fifth point Tuesday as Bowdoin outlasted Emory 5-4 in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III tennis championships.

Luke Tercek won at No. 1 singles for the Polar Bears, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, and Gil Roddy and Grant Urken each picked up points with straight set victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles.

Gil Roddy and Chase Savage picked up the Bowdoin point at doubles, winning 9-7.

The Polar Bears advance to the championship match at 10 a.m. Wednesday vs. Middlebury.

It is the first men’s program in Bowdoin history to play for a national title.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

BOWDOIN: Bowdoin was swept in its doubles matches and fell 5-0 to Williams in a NCAA Division III semifinal at Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The Polar Bears finished 15-7, reaching the NCAA semifinals for the first time.

Tiffany Cheng fell to Mia Gancayo in straight sets in No. 2 singles and Samantha Stalder was defeated by Hannah Atkinson at No. 5 singles to finish the match.

The Ephs (22-3) avenged a regular-season loss to Bowdoin and advance to face Emory for the national title on Wednesday.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SMCC: Katie Bergeron was named the new coach.

Bergeron, the seventh coach in program history, recently was an assistant coach at South Portland High School.

VANDERBILT: The Commodores want Stephanie White of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever as their new women’s basketball coach so much that they’re willing to wait.

And White will lean on her old Purdue coach, Carolyn Peck, to run the Commodores while she finishes out the WNBA season.

Vanderbilt announced that White will be the program’s fifth head coach, and Peck will be the interim head coach while White works the rest of the WNBA season. When Indiana’s season ends, Peck then will be associate coach.

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