The women’s tennis team enters the spring season after earning a 4-4 record (3-3 NESCAC) in dual matches this fall. With a roster touting six freshmen, the team will benefit from collegiate experience gained in the fall.
Captain Suz Ragab ’06 provides the lone upperclassman presence on the team as Tori Santoro ’07 is abroad this semester. The team will have to fill Santoro’s third singles and second doubles spots in her absence. Ragab spent most of the fall in the number six singles position, compiling a record of 4-4. She also played third doubles with Lizzie Collector ’09 in every dual match this fall. The duo finished with a team best doubles record of 4-4.
“The team has been working really hard on the off-season,” Ragab said. “Everyone’s stamina, endurance and overall physical condition has improved. We are working on our doubles strategies; our goals are to be more aggressive at net and cut down on unforced errors.”
Rachael Ghorbani ’09 held down the number one singles position spot and paired with Madalina Ursu ’09 and Alex Sirois ’09 in the number one doubles position this fall. Ghorbani faced up against the region’s best and fared rather well, particularly as a freshman. She will look to build on what she learned this fall when the team returns to the court.
Ania Preneta ’09, Sirois, Santoro, and Ursu made up the remainder of the singles lineup for most of the fall. Emily Fish ’09 and Collector also made appearances in the singles matches, with Fish winning in her only singles start of the season.
Preneta and Santoro paired up in the second doubles spot in every match this fall, earning a record of 3-5. The rotating team of Ghorbani, Ursu, and Sirois also combined for a 3-5 record.
In the fall season-ending New England Division III Tournament, the Cards finished in the middle of the pack, 12 of 22 teams. Ghorbani advanced to the semifinals in the first flight before losing to the number-one seed and eventual runner-up Amy Roche of Middlebury. Ursu made it to the quarterfinals, falling to the third seed Elizabeth Emery of Middlebury. The doubles teams of Ghorbani and Sirois and Ragab and Collector both made it to the round of 16 in the first and third flights respectively.
The team will face off against Bentley College, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University and Smith College in its four dual matches this spring. Under new NESCAC rules only the top six dual match teams will enter the NESCAC championships. The Cards will need to run the table in order to earn a berth in the tournament.
The women will begin their quest for the tournament in California over spring break with matches against the California Institute of Technology and Millsaps College. They will meet Mount Holyoke College for their first of two home matches this spring on Wednesday, Apr. 5.
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