Williams did more than skirt by women's tennis

Author: Maeve McGilloway

The Middlebury women's tennis team fell to Williams College in an 8-1 loss on Saturday in the semifinal round of the NESAC Championship, which was held at Amherst College.

The Panthers entered the NESCACs on a strong note, having finished their regular season with a 5-1 conference record and an overall record of 10-3. Earlier this season the Panthers topped powerhouses Amherst and Williams, earning themselves the number-one seed in the tournament.

Bowdoin was seeded second, followed by Amherst, Williams, Tufts and Trinity respectively. Both Middlebury and Bowdoin earned a bye in the quarterfinals. The semifinals had Middlebury facing Williams and Bowdoin facing Amherst, with Amherst eventually winning it all as NESCAC champions.

The women's defeat marked the second consecutive year that Middlebury lost to Williams in the semi-finals. In 2006, the Ephs inched out a win over the Panthers 5-4.

Middlebury had squeaked out a 5-4 victory over the Ephs earlier in the year, but was unable to repeat the feat as Williams defeated Middlebury 8-1. The lone Middlebury point came from the doubles tandem of senior co-captain Amy Roche and junior Claire Smyser.

At number-one singles, Roche was matched up against Cary Gibson, Williams' top player. Last year, Gibson won the number-one singles title at the New England Woman's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament, while Roche, in the fall season, captured the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles championship for the second consecutive season. The singles match of Roche versus Gibson displayed two of the best players in the league tirelessly competing for the win.

Roche stole the first set in 7-5 fashion but Gibson struck back, winning the closing two sets 6-1 and 6-3. Roche's tournament play and regular season singles record of 17-6 did not go unnoticed - she was selected as All-Conference First Team Singles for the second year in a row.

Co-Captain Emily Holick '07 played at fifth singles and second doubles with sophomore partner Clare Burke. Although eventually losing both matches, Holick fought hard. Holick played against Williams' Annie Hancock, another top player for the Ephs, but was unable to come out successful in the end, losing 6-4, 6-2.

Much of Middlebury's depth this season comes from the sophomore class. At the NESCAC tournament, sophomores Elizabeth Emery played at third-singles, Elizabeth Stone at fourth-singles and Clare Burke at sixth-singles, where they all continued to finesse their game.

Even with its talent and almost-undefeated NESCAC season, Middlebury was unable to pull out a victory against Williams, which speaks to the depth and toughness of the league.

"The NESCAC is by far the strongest league in the country," said Williams Coach Julie Greenwood earlier in the season.

Holick reiterated this point when she explained how the top-four teams in the NESCAC are also part of the top-10 in the country. According to rankings by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association from April 16, Middlebury was ranked at the number-two position in the country right behind DePauw University. Just below Middlebury were other NESCAC schools including Williams, Amherst and Bowdoin.

Holick recognized the challenging NESCAC conference and explained how nothing is a given in the league. Holick regarded the difficulty of the NESCAC as a motivating force that only makes the team improve in the long run.

"I would rather have our team competing and getting stronger in such a talented league," said Holick, "than never facing hard challenges."

This weekend's loss to Williams, however, does not mean an end to the Panthers' tennis season. On Monday night they were granted an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Middlebury will be looking to improve upon their quarterfinal finish from the 2005 season.