Men's tennis falls short of goal, then finds win

Team blasts past Heidelberg College without standout juniors

The men's tennis team continued to work out its early season kinks as they went one up, one down over the week.

On Saturday, the Yeomen lost a close match, 3-4, to Carnegie Mellon University. Oberlin rebounded with a drubbing of Heidelberg College on Tuesday. They pounded out a 6-1 match victory for their first win of the year and improved their season record to 1-2.

Oberlin played poorly as a team against Carnegie Mellon. They could not earn the less competitive singles points, after junior Peter Swendsen played an exceptional match in the number one spot for the Yeomen.

"It was a great match. It was pretty even throughout," said Swendsen. Swendsen was playing his first match ever in the number one singles position, and proved to be up to the task. After dropping the first set 5-7, Swendsen pushed the match to the limit. He won the second set 6-4 and the third set 7-6 (7-2). "I was pleased with how I took control of the tie-breaker," Swendsen said

Swendsen's teammates were uninspired by his commanding performance and dropped four of the other five singles matches.

Coach Chris Barker said, "We lost some points that we should have won. We should always win these matches."

Sophomore Eric Shin earned the only other single's victory, with a powerful 6-1, 6-4 match.

First-year Jed Greenberg said, "It was unfortunate our team could not capitalize on Swendsen's victory. He played fabulous. Peter was able to break him down."

The Yeomen regrouped on Tuesday, with a thrashing of Heidelberg. "We pretty much ripped through them," said Barker.

Oberlin won 6-1, on the strength of solid victories in the two through six single positions.

Greenberg headlined the match, playing in the number one spot for Oberlin.

Due to academic responsibilities, Swendsen and junior Sam Steckley, the usual number one players, were unable to attend the contest. So, Barker placed Greenberg in the number one spot against Heidelberg's Aaron Koch, who is currently ranked fifth in the county.

"Our number one on the ladder couldn't make it. I didn't feel too much pressure going into it, because our team had more depth than them," said Greenberg.

With a 5-7, 2-6 loss, Greenberg had a respectable showing considering the circumstances. Greenberg promises to make a significant contribution this season. "He worked a lot in the fall," said Swendsen.

Barker said, "He is a real student of the game. He really tries to read his opponent. I am impressed with his mental side of the game."

Oberlin hopes to make a stab at fourth or fifth place in the conference this season. "We have to always win double points, and we have to consistently win four, five, and six singles. We know we can do better," said Barker.

The Yeomen promise to enjoy their season, with a solid team aspect propelling them into conference matches. "It's definitely a nice group - a lot of camaraderie," said Greenberg.

Kick back and fire: Sophomore Eric Shin prepares to smash an ace during practice. After losing their first two matches, the men got their first win Tuesday and look to build on their victory this Saturday. (photo by John Matney)