After finishing the fall schedule with a 4-4 record, the women’s tennis team completed a perfect 7-0 record this spring to compile an 11-4 record in their 2005-2006 campaign. For a team made up of six freshmen, the improvement between the fall and spring seasons should be a sign of success to come.
Leading the way with undefeated individual records in the spring were captain Suz Ragab ’06, Ania Preneta ’09, Emily Fish ’09 and Madalina Ursu ’06. Preneta and Ursu formed the number two doubles team for all but one match this spring, their victory in the first doubles position against Springfield College. They were challenged closely in only one match, an 8-6 victory against Bentley, and combined to win 56 of 76 games in their matches.
On the singles side, Preneta won each of her seven matches in straight sets and won all but one set by a 6-3 score or better. She occupied the second singles spot for all but one match, her first singles debut against Springfield.
Ursu, playing in the third singles spot, also rolled through her matches without dropping a set.
Rachael Ghorbani ’09 held the first singles position as she did in the fall, continuing to battle against some of New England’s best. Her powerful ground strokes carried her to a 3-3 record in her singles matches. She teamed with Alex Sirois ’06 to earn a 3-3 record in the first doubles position. The two emotionally charged players formed a team that fought through some of the closest matches of the spring.
Sirois earned a 5-1 record in the fourth and third singles positions. Her effort against Mount Holyoke, where she lost a heartbreaking first doubles match with Ghorbani, then recovered to earn a difficult three-set victory in the fourth singles spot, exemplified her relentless work ethic.
Fish and Lizzie Collector ’09 rounded out the roster. Fish settled into the fifth singles position, going undefeated in her seven matches, including a victory in the fourth spot against Salve Regina. Collector was the team’s doubles specialist, earning an undefeated record with Ragab in the third doubles spot. She also earned a 6-0, 6-0 victory in fifth singles against Salve Regina.
Throughout the year, Ragab was the backbone of the team. As the only upperclassman on the squad this spring, Ragab was the sole source of leadership and experience. Along with her undefeated mark in third doubles, she never dropped a set playing fifth and sixth singles. She earned a combined fall and spring singles record of 13-4 and a combined doubles record of 12-5.
“She [Ragab] always said ‘I’m not going to play pretty to lose, I’ll play ugly and win,’” Preneta said. “She was an awesome captain, dedicated to the sport and to winning, and she will be leaving her baby freshmen to carry on Wes tennis.” Ragab’s records this year made it by far her most successful as a Cardinal. Even beyond her impressive on-court performance, it was Ragab’s work getting this talented group of freshmen comfortable at the collegiate level that was perhaps her most valuable contribution.
“Six energetic freshmen and a powerful captain, that’s our recipe for success,” Ursu said. “The first semester was the hardest one for the freshmen, but Suz did everything humanly possible to make us feel like home and find our place in the Wes community.”
While the team was happy with its spring performance after an inconsistent fall, the undefeated spring record was not enough to qualify for the NESCAC Tournament. Tied for sixth place in the NESCAC with Tufts, the Cards were left on the outside looking in by virtue of a tiebreaker.
“We are disappointed we did not make it to NESCACs,” Ursu said. “We paid the price for our play this fall, and a tough loss to Conn. College on indoor courts. Even though we were tied with Tufts, they beat Conn. earlier this year and got into the tournament.”
With all but Ragab returning next year, the Cards are poised to build on this year’s record and earn a trip to the NESCAC Tournament a year from now. With six freshmen returning, the women’s tennis team will have its core group of players set for the next several years.