When The Argus last checked on Wesleyan women’s tennis, their spring season had gotten off to a spectacular start and it truly looked like there would be no stopping this team. Thankfully, that prediction proved correct as the Cardinals went on to have a phenomenal run that was nothing short of historic. 

They scored back-to-back 7–2 victories on April 2 and 3 against No. 8 ranked Middlebury and No. 18 ranked William, respectively. 

This was followed by a narrow 5–4 win over No. 10 ranked Tufts on Saturday April 9. Though they were behind 4–2 well into the singles play, the Cardinals scored three consecutive singles victories by Nika Vesely ’25 at #2 on the ladder, Serim Jin ’23 at #5, and Katie Fleischman ’23 at #3 which secured the spectacularly earned victory for the Cards.

The Red and Black kept up the momentum the next day with a 9–0 shutout victory over Bates on April 10. 

This match was followed by two out-of-conference victories over Brandeis University (8–1) and No. 4 ranked Emory University (6–3) on April 15 and April 16. The Cards then took on No. 15 Bowdoin and No. 26 ranked Colby on April 23 and 24 respectively and secured 8–1 wins over both teams. 

Finally, to finish off the regular season, the Cardinals went up against Conn. College on April 30 on their senior day and won a shutout 9–0. This victory officially makes the Wesleyan women’s tennis team the first Wesleyan team to complete an undefeated regular season since the NESCAC became a formal playing conference in 1999.

Sasha Gaeth ’23 credited the team’s perfect record in the regular season to the team’s strong sense of camaraderie. 

“The support for one another on any given day was so obviously there,” Gaeth wrote in an email to The Argus. “We were all so driven…and we were all working towards that same goal.”

Caitlyn Ferrante ’24 added that the team’s focus was a major contributing factor.

“Day in and day out, we were doing what we were supposed to and focusing on each day and not thinking super into the future about what we could do,” Ferrante said. “I think we were staying present and that is what allowed us to do so well.”

The Cardinals then headed to the NESCAC tournament as the top seed and easily defeated Bates 5–0 in the quarterfinal on May 6. 

The next day, the Cardinals faced the fourth-seeded Amherst in what proved to be an exhilarating matchup. In the doubles play, the team secured wins at #3 by Kristina Yu ’22 and Renna Mohsen-Breen ’25, maintaining their status as an undefeated doubles team. At #1, Ferrante and Gaeth ’23 overcame a 7–4 deficit to win the match 8–7, 9–7 and give the Cards the lead going into singles play. At #6, Wu clenched the first singles win which was then followed by three consecutive wins by the Mammoths at #5, #3, and #1. At this point, the Mammoths were only a point away from winning the day, but the Red and Black were undeterred. Vesely ’25 at #2 secured her point in a 6–3, 6–2 victory bringing the score to a 4–4 tie. In the final match of the day, Venia Yeung ’22 demonstrated true grace and skill under pressure and won 6–3, 6–2 earning the Cardinals their hard-fought victory and a spot in the finals where they would face the second-seeded Middlebury. 

In doubles play, the Panthers took an early 2–1 lead with the sole doubles victory coming from Sophie Henderson ’22 and Vesely at #2. After opening singles play with another defeat over Fleischman at #2, Wesleyan came back with three consecutive wins by Ferrante at #1, Jin at #4, and Mohsen-Breen at #6. The Panthers secured another win over the Cards at #5 over Yu, bringing the score to 4–4 with only one match to go. In a spectacular performance that required a tie-breaking third set, Yeung at #3 earned her win and secured a third straight NESCAC championship for the Red and Black, who became only the second program in NESCAC history to start a season 20–0. 

Gaeth points to their performance in the NESCAC finals as one of the high points of the season. 

“I think the best singular moment with the team was the moment we clinched against Middlebury to win NESCACs,” Gaeth wrote.

Earning their sixth consecutive bid for the NCAA Tournament, the Cardinals’ first appearance was in the second round where they clinched a clean sweep 5–0 victory over Stevens Institute of Technology. 

In round three, the Cards showed no signs of slowing down with a definitive 5–2 victory over No. 15 ranked University of Mary Washington.

For the fourth straight season, the Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinal round where they faced No. 8 ranked Emory. Wesleyan seized an impressive 3–0 lead in doubles. The singles matchups opened on a frustrating note, with losses at #4, 1, and 5 that resulted in a much narrower 4–3 lead. The climactic moment of the day came from Mohsen-Breen at #6 who was leading 2–1 in the third set when she suffered a sudden ankle injury. After seeking medical attention, Mohsen-Breen returned completely undeterred, winning the third set 6–4 and clinching the Cardinals’ 6–4 victory. 

In their third-straight appearance in the NCAA Semifinals, the Cardinals met No. 4 ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. In this matchup, the Red and Black suffered their first loss of the season-ending their brilliant 23–0 run with a 5–0 victory by CMS. 

In the Cardinals’ final appearance of the season, Gaeth and Ferrante competed in the NCAA Doubles Tournament in a first-round matchup against Mary Washington. Unfortunately, though the pair fought hard, they were defeated 6–4, 7–5 in two close sets, ending their spectacular season. 

“It was such an honor and such a privilege to even attend the NCAA tournament,” Gaeth wrote of the experience. “It was so exciting to be there and playing on those courts. I know we could all feel it. Of course, we all wished our post-season run didn’t end when it did, but I think it was fuel for this season for sure.”

With a 23–0 win streak, NESCAC Championship, Little Three title, and advancement to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament under their belt, the Cardinals are more than confident in their abilities going into the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 seasons.

Ferrante added that in this coming season, building community will be a critical element in ensuring the team’s performance remains strong. 

“Obviously we want to win,” Ferrante said. “We want to focus on keeping our culture and team camaraderie up to where we want it to be. There’s always ways to improve that.”

The fall season opens on Sept. 16 with their appearance at the University of Connecticut Invitational, which no doubt will feature the Cardinals’ repeatedly proven excellence in full force.

 

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.