Women's tennis set to host NCAA regional

Author: Heather Wright

This past weekend the Middlebury College women's tennis team hosted the 2005 NESCAC Championships. They finished third overall, behind Amherst and Tufts, respectively. Amherst dominated the tournament, but Middlebury was hoping to come in second. The tournament does not affect the team's ranking, so the Panthers are still ranked second going into NCAA regionals this coming weekend.

"Amy Roche had a huge tournament, beating many of the top NESCAC players en route to winning the A-flight," said Co-Captain Maren Messing '06. Roche '07 easily trounced her opponent 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals before taking the A-flight championship match 7-5, 6-0. Co-Captain Lauren Ready '05 added, "Amy cruised through the tournament without dropping a set and beat great players. She dominated her opponents and really made winning the title look easy."

Emily Holick '07 played in the B singles bracket and had some great wins over Williams and Tufts before falling in the semifinals to the eventual champion. First-year Amy Berkman played well in the C singles bracket before losing in the semifinals. "She is going to be a deadly weapon next weekend in singles, anchoring the team at number six," noted Holick.

In the doubles C bracket, Messing and Holick "beat a fiery Tufts duo in the semis before falling in the championship to a strong Amherst team," said Ready. They lost a disappointing final match to Amherst, 8-6. Both the A and B flight doubles teams lost in the semis as well. The A-flight team of Jackie Ross '07 and Claire Smyser '07 lost 8-2 and Roche and Amanda Berck '08 lost 8-6 in the B-flight semifinals.

Injuries, which have bothered the Panthers all year, played a role in the team's tournament performance. Ross was rested this weekend in singles due to an arm injury, and she will be ready to go in the NCAA regionals. This should make the Panthers a stronger team this coming weekend. "Things are looking good - we have our sights set high as we enter the first round of NCAAs," said Holick.

The number one and number two teams in the Northeast host the NCAA regionals, and second-ranked Middlebury will host one of those sites this weekend. The Panthers will host four other teams and the winner will advance to the final eight in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Panthers know what they are up against this weekend, but they have continuously stepped up to challenges throughout the season. Holick says, "With focus I have no doubt we will be happy with the results."

Middlebury is looking forward to the competition this weekend, but ultimately has their sights set on Michigan. "Since the beginning of the year, we set our goal as making the final eight in Michigan," said Ready. Messing added, "Our season is not over yet, and we have a real shot at making it to nationals for the first time this year. However, there is some really tough competition in the East and we know that we have to really bring our all if we want to see results."