The women’s tennis team has kicked off the season strong, logging a number of key wins over spring break, and is hoping to keep the momentum going.
For the first week of break, the team headed to California to train and compete in three matches. The first match was against Bowdoin, currently ranked sixth in the nation. While the 34th-ranked Cards lost the match 7-2, number-one singles player Eudice Chong ’18 pulled off an impressive victory on her own in addition to notching a doubles win with Helen Klass-Warch ’18.
The team faced 31st-ranked Chapman University next and scraped out a 6-3 win. The competition was strong with the two singles losses in the third set tiebreakers. The Cards also dropped a close doubles match with the final score being 8-9 in favor of Chapman.
The Cards ended the week of matches with a tight 5-4 win against 22nd-ranked Redlands University. Wins at first, third, and fourth singles positions, as well as with triumphs by the number two and three doubles teams, cemented the win for the Birds.
“Our 5-4 victory against Redlands was definitely a highlight of the trip!” said Captain Anna Howard ’15. “It proved that we have the talent, the mental toughness, and the team support to be a major competitor in the NESCAC this season.”
Howard also asserted that the trip as a whole was a valuable experience for the team.
“Living in the same house for a week allowed us to get to know each other and strengthen our team unity,” Howard said.
The team bonding has had a notable effect on their play, according to Head Coach Mike Fried.
“The whole team is really beginning to click, we’re playing very good doubles and continuing to work hard,” Fried said. “The team had a great week of bonding and match experience out in California, and we’re excited to be back home and keep it going.”
The team has played one home match since returning from California. The Cards took on 26th-ranked Brandeis on Mar. 22 and won the match, 9-0. Chong and Klass-Warch handily won their singles matches before joining up as a team to win at the first doubles position, 8-0.
Aashli Budhiraja ’18 won at third singles spot 6-2, 6-0, and Dasha Dubinsky ’18 took her match at the fifth position with a 6-3, 6-4 win. Budhiraja and Dubinsky then paired as a team to win 8-1 in the third doubles match.
Nicole McCann ’18 dominated in a 6-1, 6-1 match at fourth singles, and then joined Howard to win 8-4 at the second doubles position. Jessica Seidman ’16 finished off the sweep in a 6-2, 6-2 win in the six singles position.
Wrapping up the spring break matches with such a decisive win definitely has done wonders for the team’s mentality going forward.
“We have grown confident as a team, beating three teams so far that are ranked nationally higher than we are,” Howard said. “If we keep up what we are doing, I know that we will only get better. I am proud of each and every girl on the team for what they have accomplished so far, and I cannot wait for the rest of the season!”
“We’re trying not to look too far ahead and just take it one week, one practice, one match at a time,” Fried said. “Our goal is to continue to get better individually and as a team and to have a lot of fun while doing it. We’re paying particular attention to the mental toughness component of our training, and we’re excited to give it another go at Bates this weekend.”
This spring the team will face their NESCAC competitors, including the 40th-ranked Bobcats this coming Sunday, Mar. 29.
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