Men's tennis in full swing

In their first match of the season, the men's tennis team both earned a hard-fought 4-3 win against Wabash College and dropped a disappointing 6-1 loss to Rose-Hulman College of Indiana University.

While the disappointing Rose-Hulman match stands as a good indicator of where the team needs to improve, it is the come-from-behind victory over Wabash, a team that has beaten Oberlin 4-3 the past two years, that is hopefully more indicative of the 1999 men's tennis team.

The Yeomen came out sluggishly at first but gained momentum by executing their game plans, eventually beating the new conference member Wabash. The key, according to Coach Don Hunsinger, was their preparation, mental toughness and the experience of older players like seniors Sam Steckley, Mike O'Connell and Eric Shin.

"Clearly it's an advantage to have older guys," Hunsinger said. "They can draw from their experience and they all played very well."

Indeed, the match against Wabash showed the team's mental toughness. Down 3-1 as multiple Yeomen singles players lost their first set, the team rallied to 3-4 with victories by O'Connell 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 over Todd White, Jon Stinston 3-6, 7-6 (6-4), 6-3 over Klint Schwenk and Shin 7-6, (8-6), 7-5.

Perhaps the most exciting was Shin's win over Andy Beguhn. With Oberlin's victory or defeat riding on the match, Shin calmly executed his game as suspense soared. With a first-set victory under his belt, and leading 6-5 in the second set, Shin found himself with a chance to steal a win from a tenuous foe if he could break Beguhn's serve. Shin broke the serve and Oberlin claimed its first victory of the season.

"Eric didn't let the moment faze him," sophomore Jed Greenberg said. "Beguhn had a giant serve, but he handled the pressure really well."

Equally impressive were the two doubles victories over Wabash. In the first match, Steckley and O'Connell beat Mark Ratner and Beguhn 8-6. Oberlin's second victory was won by the duo of Stinson and sophomore Ben Fox, winning 8-5 against Ryan Will and Kunal Amin.

After a tiring match against Wabash, Oberlin played their best games against the talented Rose-Hulman, but couldn't walk away with a victory.

Though they were up against the fresh legs of a talented Rose-Hulman team, the Yeomen played consistently well. Steckley went down swinging, taking Richard Kober to three sets before falling 6-7, 7-5, 6-2.

Stinson's play late in the match was impressive, but ultimately was not enough against Tyson May 6-2, 7-5. The lone victory of the match against the Indiana team came from O'Connell, who defeated Jake Isenberg 6-3, 6-4.

On the doubles side, O'Connell and Steckley brought Craig Clark and Kober to the brink of defeat, but lost 9-8.

"Overall we played better than we did against Wabash," Hunsinger said. "That was exceptionally good for that part of the season. I hope it gives our players some confidence that we can continue to improve."

Looking over the double-header, some bright spots remain. The Wabash victory proved that Oberlin men's tennis holds the tenacity necessary for come-from-behind wins. Against Rose-Hulman, the Yeomen proved that they have the strength and experience necessary to compete with talented squads.

"Now we're playing like a more experienced team," Greenberg said. "We raised our level of play up a notch."

The team plays Carnegie Mellon at home on Sunday at 1 p.m.