Women wrap up fall tennis season

Author: Zamir Ahmed

The Middlebury women's tennis team brought its fall season to a close at the New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT) on October 14-16. The Panthers were competing with a number of tough teams from throughout the region in six singles brackets and three doubles brackets. The Panthers closed the tournament with 26 points to take home third place out of 22 teams, falling behind NESCAC rivals Amherst, who took home the title with 41 points, and Williams, who collected 31 points.

"Coming off a win in the tournament last year, we had a lot of confidence going in," said Amy Roche '07. "A lot of matches could have gone either way. It was a good finish so our confidence isn't shaken."

The Panthers enjoyed strong showings from all of their players, with four players making it all the way to the semifinals of their respective singles brackets, while two doubles teams clinched spots in the final four of their brackets. Middlebury was led as they have been all season by Roche, who made it to the finals of the No. 1 singles bracket. Roche, seeded first in the bracket, lost only six games in three matches before being upset by Beret Remak of Connecticut College in the finals. Roche also advanced to the quarterfinals of the No. 1 doubles bracket with partner Elizabeth Emery '09, where the duo was knocked off by the Bowdoin team of Kelsey Hughes and Christine D'Elia by a score of 9-7. Amanda Berck '08 also looked strong in her first match in the No. 2 singles bracket before she was forced to withdraw from her quarterfinals match with a shoulder injury.

Middlebury also benefited from a pair of strong singles showings from newcomers Elizabeth Stone '09 and Emery. Stone steamrolled her first two opponents in the No. 6 singles bracket, winning both matches by a score of 6-0, 6-0, before squeezing out a tight three-set win in the semifinals 4-6, 6-3, (10-7). Top-seeded Stone then clinched the title with a convincing 6-2, 6-0 in the finals to cap off a great rookie season. Emery won her first two matches in the No. 4 singles bracket to make it all the way to the semifinals before falling in a tough three-setter to the number-two seed.

The Panthers also received strong showings from their other two doubles teams, as both duos made it to the final four of their brackets. Captain Maren Messing '06 teamed up with another outstanding first-year in Clare Burke for a great run in the No. 3 doubles bracket. The pair won their first three matches, including a win over the top-seeded team, to reach the finals, falling 8-5 in a tight match. Prior to her injury, Berck paired up with Emily Holick '07 to take their first two matches before losing in the semifinals in the No. 2 doubles bracket.

"Our freshmen really made their mark at this tournament," said Roche. "They earned a lot of valuable points for us."

With their fall season now over, the Panthers will have the winter off-season to ready themselves for their return to action in April. The team has its sights set high for the year, looking to improve on last year's performance when they reached the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. The team will also be looking for payback in the NESCAC tournament in the spring. Last year, the Panthers finished third behind Amherst and Williams, a disappointing result for the team but one that will provide extra motivation when the spring season rolls around.

"One of our major goals this spring is to beat Amherst," said Roche. "However, we're not necessarily going to be concerned with what teams we beat but how we play. Hopefully the wins will take care of themselves.