Coming off their seventh win of the spring season, the women’s tennis team headed up to Vermont to face its toughest competition yet this spring. On Saturday, the Cardinals faced perennial power Middlebury for the first time since September 27, 2003. The Cardinals suffered their first defeat of the spring season, losing 7-2 to the Panthers.
Middlebury took two wins in the doubles matches, but was unable to break the winning streak of the Cardinals’ number-one doubles team, Sarah Miller ’12 and Anika Fischer ’10. The doubles win for Miller and Fischer marks their eighth consecutive victory as a pair. They fought hard to defeat Middlebury’s top pairing and handed the Panthers an 8-5 loss.
In singles play, Rachael Ghorbani ’09 gave the Cardinals their only individual win of the day at the No. 4 spot. Ghorbani won the first set 6-4, but took a step backwards in the second set, losing it 4-6. However, she rallied to pull out the final set, 6-3, to give the Cardinals their only singles victory.
Linda McDougal ’11 also played a close singles match at the number-five spot. Losing the first set 5-7, McDougal came back forcefully in the second set with a 6-4 win to even the match. McDougal was unable to hold onto her momentum in the third and final set, however, losing 4-6. Although McDougal was unable to pull the match out for a victory, her gusty performance, which enabled her to rally and extend the match, will be a confidence booster with the final conference matches of the spring on the horizon.
Fisher (No. 1; 1-6, 0-6), Ania Preneta ’09 (No. 2; 1-6, 0-6), and Meredith Holmes ’10 (No. 6; 6-7, 3-6) also experienced singles losses for the Cardinals, in addition to No. 3 Miller, who fell 5-8 in a single pro set played after the outcome of the match had been determined. Even with the loss, however, the Cards are optimistic entering their final stretch of the season.
“The season is going well,” said Preneta. “We fought hard against Middlebury, but there are still some things we need to work on, and there’s room and time for improvement before our final matches.”
The Cardinals have another chance to improve as they travel to Holy Cross on Wednesday. If they continue to rally and fight through tough matches, they will certainly continue their spring success. The Cardinals will look to further improve their overall 7-1 record in the spring season, and the doubles team of Miller and Fisher also looks to extend its impressive winning streak.
“[The team is] excited about the rest of the season and hopes [its] practice pays off in the end,” said Preneta.
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