Women's tennis impressed by loss

Tuesday, the Yeowomen traveled to Kenyon College to take on the defending conference champions. This year, Kenyon has already beaten defending National Champion Emory University (6-3). Oberlin was beaten by Emory 9-0 over Spring Break. The Yeowomen knew what they were in for.

A 9-0 loss, in which the Yeowomen won only 15 of the 112 games (points) played. The Yeowomen made it to deuce, (40-40) in many games, even to add-in for a few, but just couldn't finish them off.

"The most impressive team in tennis men or women that I've ever coached against," coach Don Hunsinger said.

"They don't miss a lot," first-year Jill Brockelman said.

Co-captain senior Bethany Pribila was the lone Yeowomen to hold her own against her opponent. Pribila, the number-one singles player, was ahead 5-4 in the first set against Kenyon first-year Caryn Cuthbert, serving for set point, before Cuthbert won three straight games to take the set and then the match 7-5, 6-2.

This was Pribila's third close loss against a nationally-ranked opponent. If Pribila can muster a few wins this weekend at the Great Lakes College Association Tournament, she has a chance to qualify for nationals and at the very least improve her national ranking.

As a team, the Yeowomen are not expecting many victories, one-third of Oberlin's starting lineup, will not be making the trip to Depauw. Junior Kate Petersen and sophomore Tara Sievers will not be joining their teammates. Petersen has to take care of academic matters, and Sievers is out of town attending to family matters.

In the future, the team hopes to improve their double play, which has been struggling. Hunsinger attributes this to the style of the team's play. All but one of the Yeowomen are baseline players and the doubles game is played at the net.

Next Wednesday the Yeowomen play at the College of Wooster.