Women's Tennis Hitting Comfort Zones

"This is the best team we've had in quite a while," said head women's tennis coach Don Hunsinger. After Saturday's thorough beating of Otterbein College, 8-1, it's hard to disagree with him. The Yeowomen have hit their stride, improving with every match, gaining experience week in and week out. They now boast a three-game winning streak.

Saturday's domination of Otterbein College began with a swift 8-1, 8-1 and 8-2 sweep in doubles play. The first team featured Oberlin's top two players, sophomore Sarah Jesse and first-year Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz. "We are a really good doubles team," said Jesse. "We're really enthusiastic and [complement each other well]. I don't see us losing a match this year."

In singles play, the ladies nearly perfected a clean sweep of their foes, beginning with straight set victories from Jesse, Fotiu-Wojtowicz and senior Jill Brockelman. The threesome lost a mere five games combined. Junior Beth Krupski, the number four player, lost a tight match 6-4, 7-6. The second set tie-break was a gut-wrenching 12-10 final.

Though Krupski lost the match, Hunsinger praised her play, saying it was the best she had played all year.

Number five player first-year Laura Koehn took her match 6-4, 7-6. Koehn was down 0-5 before she mounted her comeback. "You don't know how much mental toughness it takes to come back from 0-5," said Hunsinger. First-year Leah Corn, the number six player, continued her strong play with an impressive 6-0, 6-1 defeat of her Otterbein opponent.

"It was a good match. We played solidly; better than we had the first two [games] against Albion College and John Carroll University," said junior Robin Richardson.

Hunsinger agreed, saying that though the team knew that Otterbein would be without their number one player, they gave their best overall performance thus far. Although the Yeowomen boast a 3-0 record, there are still areas for improvement. "[We are] improving technically, but at this point we're not where we should be," said Hunsinger. He explained that the team struggled through technical aspects of the game in the first two matches, and relied on each player's individual's emotions to carry them over the top.

When the team puts the whole package together, the rest of the NCAC will be back on their heels. "When our total team is playing, we have two of the best doubles [teams]. Right now, the singles are solid, [and they] have a chance to be very strong," said Hunsinger.

Indeed, the team is lucky to have a deep pool of healthy players, a rarity on Oberlin sports teams. The one, two and three players dominated the Otterbein match and the bottom three are not far behind in talent level.

"Laura's win really helped her confidence, which helps all of us," said Jesse. If the second tier of singles players keep improving their play, any erroneous play by the top players will be competently backed up by the second group.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that these recent victories come in non-conference games against opponents that do not rival those in the highly competitive NCAC. "Our conference is exceptionally good," said Hunsinger. He added that this makes it all the more important to play teams like Emory University and University of the South, two of the top teams in Division III, and compete in the Great Lakes Tournament.

"This is like a preview, I'm still focused for the rest of the season," said Jesse. "I'm forgetting whwe've won and focused for the conference."

With the excitement, motivation and competitive edge, there is no telling how far this team can go. But right now they are taking it just one game at a time - and coincidentally winning every one.

"So far I am most happy with how the two teams are getting along," said Hunsinger. He added a thank you to Adam Shoemaker, Bob Piron, and Tara Sievers who provide a constant fan base for a sport that doesn't always draw the biggest crowds.