Tennis Squads Rack Up Wins

After recording a 6-2 record in their spring-break trip to California, the women’s tennis team returned to their home court to play sixth-ranked Williams in Nelson Arena on Sunday, April 6, losing 7-2.

The women began their spring break trip on March 22 with a tough loss to Pomona-Pitzer, their lone point coming in singles from a straight sets win by senior Dorrie Paradies ’14.

According to Coach Mike Morgan, the Panthers’ loss “affected them in a positive way,” helping them prepare for the next matches mentally and physically.

The Panthers had to adjust to the time difference as well as playing on outdoor courts. They improved their record in the next match with an 8-1 win on March 23 against UC-Santa Cruz. The Panthers won all six singles matches in straight sets and two out of three doubles matches to win the game handily.

They continued the trip with a tough loss March 25 against fifth-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Panthers garnered two of three doubles points with wins by duos Ria Gerger ’16 / Kaysee Orozco ’17, and Lauren Amos ’16 / Margot Marchese ’16. In singles play, Alexandra Fields ’17 and Sadie Shackelford ’16 scored points for the Panthers, but it wasn’t enough to win the match. The Panthers fell 4-5 to CMS to bring their record to 4-2.

Morgan believes that this was their most challenging game of the series.

“Claremont is certainly a strong team and we needed to play well in that one,” Morgan said.

Despite the loss, Morgan thinks that this game was just what the team was looking for in a schedule filled with strong opponents.

“One of the reasons you go out there is to play against some of the top ten teams,” he said.

The Panthers finished the trip strong on March 27 and 28 with 8-1 wins over Westmont and 12th-ranked University of Chicago, ending the trip with a 6-2 record.

In addition to their games on the trip, the Panthers had the opportunity to meet with a sports psychologist and members of the Olympic volleyball team, an experience Coach Morgan found particularly valuable because the team was able to discuss “some of the things we’ve talked about all year with someone who had a little bit of an outside perspective.”

The Panthers continued their season on Sunday, April 6 with a match against NESCAC rival, sixth-ranked Williams. The Panthers fell to the Ephs 2-7, with their points coming from number-two singles win by Fields and a hard-fought win by doubles team Amos and Marchese.

Though the loss was disappointing for the Panthers, Morgan believes it motivated them as well.

“They’re fired up and ready to see them again,” Morgan said.

The team continues their season on April 11 with a game against Emory at noon.

The Middlebury men’s tennis team, meanwhile, proved victorious in their first home game after a 6-2 record in its round of spring break games in Georgia. The 10th-ranked Panthers started off their spring break trip strong on March 23 and 24 with a trio of wins against Sewanee (7-2), Oglethorpe University (9-0) and Shorter University (7-2). Key wins by doubles team Alex Johnston ’14 and Andrew Lebovitz ’14 and singles players Ari Smolyar ’16, Allen Jackson ’16, and Zach Bruchmiller ’14 contributed to all three wins.

The team’s first loss came in their face-off against NAIA powerhouse Georgia Gwinnett on March 25, losing 7-2. The 24th-ranked doubles team of Johnston and Lebovitz played an exciting match to garner one of two points, while Smolyar defeated Grizzly Hernan Hatem in straight sets to grab the second point.

The men recovered from the loss with no trouble, grabbing a pair of wins against Georgia Perimeter and ninth-ranked Kenyon on March 26 and 28.

The Panthers continued the trip with a much-anticipated game against Emory. Johnston and Lebovitz scored one point in doubles for the Panthers, with another coming from an exciting game by doubles team Brantner Jones ’14 and Palmer Campbell ’16. In singles play, Panthers Campbell, Jones and Johnston suffered tough losses, while Smolyar and Jackson Frons ’16 scored a pair of points to bring the score to 4-5 in favor of Emory.

The Panthers followed the loss with a 7-2 win over North Carolina Wesleyan on March 29, ending the spring break trip on a positive note.

They then returned to Middlebury to face 18th-ranked Gustavus Adolphus on Friday, April 4. The Panthers were unfazed returning to indoor play, proving victorious over the Gusties 5-4.

Middlebury started off the game with 2 doubles wins by top-ranked pair Jones and Campbell and duo Smolyar and Peter Heidrich ’15. Johnston and Lebovitz fell to their opponents. With wins by Johnston, Jones and Campbell, the Panthers clinched a tough win to bring their record to 9-2.
The Panthers next play at Williams on April 11.