Middlebury swings through rival Williams

Author: Heather Wright

It took a solid 8-1 win over Williams for the Middlebury College women's tennis team to regain their winning ways. They faced the Ephs on Saturday, April 16 on their own Proctor courts. Middlebury came out ready to win against the Ephs and succeeded in avenging their loss the previous week to Amherst. The Panthers improved their record to 11- 2 as they defeated sixth-ranked Williams.

"The key to the match was getting off to a good start. We fought through three close doubles matches but in the end we won them all. The early wins set the tone for the rest of the match," said Emily Holick '07.

Middlebury's number one doubles team, Claire Smyser '07 and Jackie Ross '07, defeated Williams relatively easily by a score of 8-4. However, the Panthers' two and three doubles matches were closer. Amanda Berck '08 and Amy Roche '07, at number two doubles, won 9-7 while Holick and co-captain Maren Messing '06 defeated the Ephs 8- 6 at number three doubles.

The Panthers dominated in their singles matches against a well-coached Williams team, going 6-1 on the day. According to Holick, "The Ephs battled hard, but we were the better team that day." Roche, at number one singles, and Holick, playing number five, both defeated their opponents easily, winning 6- 2, 6- 0. Berck and Smyser handed their opponents losses at three and four singles, respectively. First-year Amy Berkman gave the first set to her opponent, 3-6, but quickly regained her poise and went 6-1 in the next two sets and cemented her victory. Ross, playing number two singles, lost in a close match.

Though the Panthers have a young team, with first-year and sophomores making up the majority of the squad, Middlebury has continued to prove that they can beat teams with more experienced players. In Saturday's match versus Williams, the singles ladder was made up of four sophomores - Roche, Ross, Smyser and Holick. Berck and Berkman, the team's two first-years, played the remaining two singles positions. These two strong classes will provide the Panthers with much success in the coming seasons.

The Middlebury women plan to "carry the momentum of this win into our Bowdoin match next weekend," said Holick. They are now ranked number two in Division III, with only the Lord Jeffs of Amherst ranking ahead of them. With their season winding down, the Panthers are gearing up for the NESCAC Championships. Middlebury will be hosting this springs NESCAC Championships, which begins on Friday, April 29. With only one match left in their season, the Panthers are excited at the prospect of defending the New England Intercollegiate Women's Tennis Tournament title that they took this fall.

The Panthers take on the sixth-ranked Polar Bears at their own Proctor courts on Saturday, April 23 at 11:00 a.m. The Bowdoin squad is always tough and will surely travel south with a will to win and the ability to do so. The Panthers will have their hands full, but the squad of the women are equipped to handle such opposition as they look to continue this positive momentum throughout the remainder of this year's spring campaign.