Roche '07 makes it two at MIT

Author: Tory Hayes

With schoolwork mounting and colder weather setting in, September can be a tough time to play a college sport, especially tennis. That theory clearly means nothing to the Middlebury women's tennis team, which fared extremely well in last weekend's Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III New England Championship at the Masssachusetts Institute of Technology.

Captain Amy Roche '07 won the singles title for the second consecutive year, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, earning All-American status for the third time in her career. "I was just so thrilled that I had won," said the second-seeded Roche. "I find it hard to be seeded in these types of tournaments, because everyone is playing to knock you out of the draw." Nevertheless Roche got to the finals, which she called, "one of the most exciting matches I have played at Middlebury."

The other Panthers also played very well. Middlebury's number-two player, Clare Smyser '08, advanced to the Round of 16, while Amy Berkman '08 also won her first-round match.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Emery '09, Chandra Kurien '09 and Captain Emily Holick '07 each played well in the consolation matches of the 64-player singles draw, with Holick advancing to the semifinals.

As for doubles, the fourth-seeded Roche-Smyser tandem fell to Amherst 8-5 in the final, but will look for revenge this coming Saturday when the team plays at home against Amherst in one of the most important matches of the year. "We are looking to go out there and give it everything we have," said Roche. "It is the biggest dual match of our fall season, so we are really looking forward to it."

Unlike conventional match play, where one school plays against another, last weekend's ITA regional tournament featured the top players from the top teams in the Northeast. "Each team gets to submit a certain number of players based on how good their ranking is," explained Holick. "This year we had eight bids, and it was definitely a solid tournament for us."

With a 9-0 sweep of Skidmore two weeks ago and a solid showing at the ITAs, first-year coach Mike Morgan is off to a fast start, and his players have nothing but rave reviews. "He has established himself as the core of our team," said Holick. "During the entire tournament he made sure to give each player plenty of positive support."

"[He] is a great coach," agreed Roche. "He has a tremendous amount of confidence in us. More and more, he is helping our team to realize its potential."

Potential might be the operative word with the team these days. While the team is good enough to realistically think about having a fantastic season, there are also some new faces waiting in the wings. "We have two new freshman this year, Jamie Haar '10 and Alex Lovett-Woodsum '10," said Roche. "They are two great girls with a lot of potential and are fitting into the team very well."