Sports

Women’s tennis heated up the courts this weekend with 5-4 victories over both Vassar College and Bowdoin College.

Despite the threat of inclement weather, the Cardinals (2-0) took on Vassar outside on Friday. The match commenced with three doubles pro-sets.

While the number one doubles team of Co-Captain Rachel Sigman ’01 and Dina Guth ’04 suffered a tough loss, the other two teams clenched victories. 

Nina Zeitlin ’03 and Tarsah Dale ’02, in the second doubles position, humiliated their opponents with a decisive 8-3 victory. Kelly Schunk ’02 and Allison Rovner ’02 posted an 8-6 victory at number three doubles.

Ahead 2-1 after doubles, the Cards took on the steady Vassar team in six singles matches. With Schunk, Dale and Guth accepting tough losses at the third, fourth and sixth positions respectively, the players found themselves one point from being defeated.

However, Zeitlin (at number one singles) and Sigman (at five singles) stepped up to the challenge, defeating their Vassar opponents 6-4, 6-1 and 6-4, 6-2 respectively.

With the match score tied at 4-4, the team’s fate lay in the hands of Rovner at number two singles. Up 6-4, 3-0, it appeared that the match was Rovner’s to take.

However, her tough Vassar opponent managed to come back from behind, eventually taking the lead at 6-5 in the second set. Swaying the match’s momentum once again, Rovner managed to clench the victory for herself and her team, winning the tie-breaker 7-3.

"It was a good first win," said Nicki Sumorok ’01, a co-captain. "Vassar was tougher than they have been in the past. Winning that match increased our confidence going into the match against Bowdoin, and set a nice tone for the whole season.... I think we can only improve."

Little did the team know that a similar outcome would occur in the morning against Bowdoin.

The players found themselves up 3-0 after an impressive doubles showing.

"They [Bowdoin] were a little bit lost in doubles," said Head Coach Don Long. "They didn’t have much doubles experience."

Going into singles, it seemed inevitable that a victory would be secured. However, things began to get tight as Bowdoin pulled out four singles victories, taking the lead 4-3. Guth secured a 6-3, 7-5 victory in the sixth position, leveling the match at 4-4.

Once again, the outcome of the match was left on the shoulders of one player. This time it was Dale’s turn to shine. Losing the first set 3-6, Dale managed to win the second 6-4. Finding herself down 2-3 in the third, she only dropped one more game, giving the team a 5-4 victory.

"It really helped having the whole team stay there and support me," Dale said. "Their cheering me on really helped, as did the knowledge that if I won the whole team would win... I was just hoping I could wear her down in the third set." 

Long said the victory against Bowdoin showed the strength of the team’s doubles play.

"This is the first time in four years where we lost four singles matches and still won the match," Long said.

Tough competition does not stop for the Cardinals. Today they will travel to Trinity College. Trinity defeated the Cards 5-4 both last year and the year before.

"I think we definitely have the potential to beat them," Dale said. "I want to win because we lost 4-5 both years and I lost both matches in three sets. They’re my biggest rivals."