Southern Swing Proves Prosperous for Rackets

While the rest of the student body was sunbathing for spring break, the men's and women's tennis teams were on the roa, playing some of their toughest games of the season.

The tennis teams headed south, stopping first in Maryville, TN. The match was approached optimistically, which paid off in the long run. Both teams won and headed on their way with moreconfidence.

For the men, four out of six singles matches ended in victory and all three doubles matches were won. The first doubles team was comprised of senior Jon Stinson and junior Ben Fox. This upper-class duo went on to smash their opponents 8-5. Second doubles sophomore Richard Raz and first-year Jason Criscione also tasted victory with an 8-3 win.

The final doubles match highlighted junior Michael Shelton and first-year Ashvin Raj. They went on to defeat their opponent 9-7. The match ended with a score of 5-2 in favor of the Yeomen.

The women had a slightly easier time in the singles matches, sweeping their opponents

"One of our biggest strengths is that we can count on every person in the line-up," said junior Beth Krupski. "It's not just up to the top players to carry the team, because every singles player and every doubles team is more than capable of winning their points."

There was no question of the team's depth in the singles matches, but the Yeowomen nonetheless were defeated in doubles play. Junior Robin Richardson and Krupski fell to their opponents 8-5.

The other two doubles pairings had no trouble disposing of their opponents. Sophomore Sarah Jesse and first-year Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz went on to smash their opponents with by a score of 8-2. The duo of first-year Laura Koehn and sophomore Lindsay Butler also won their match, 8-2. Oberlin stole the overall match 8-1.

The team headed a little further south and westward, landing in Georgia and waiting to face Oglethorpe. The women repeated their sterling performance by sweeping the singles matches and losing only one doubles match. The duo of Butler and Koehn fell 9-8 in a tight match. This, however, did not dampen the spirits of the Yeowomen, as they walked away with an 8-1 victory.

The men faced a much closer match, losing the first three singles matches before fighting to take the last three. The Yeomen went on to win two of the three doubles matches by scores of 8-5 and 8-4, clinching a 4-3 victory. Their record improved to 4-4.

First-year Ashvin Raj played much better than anyone expected in singles and doubles play. He defeated his opponent in the singles match 7-6, 6-2. In the doubles match, he and Mike Shelton bested their Oglethorpe opponents 8-4.

The men and women both went on to compete against the University of the South and Flagler College. The Yeoewomen lost 0-9 to Flagler, while their male counterparts took a 0-7 drubbing. Hunsinger did compliment senior captain Jill Brockleman's all-out effort in her singles match.

The women fell 1-8 and the men 0-7 to the University of the South. Hunsinger again found the silver lining, saying, "Sarah Jesse had a great singles match." The women also played Emory College but suffered a 0-9 loss.

Coach Hunsinger maintains that both teams played very well. "I thought we had a chance to beat one of the three good teams (U of the South, Flagler, Emory) but they were exceptional," he said.

There is no doubt that both teams are still optimistic about the remainder of the season. Junior Ben Fox said he is expecting to finish at least fourth in the conference. Coach Hunsinger was a little more optimistic, saying that a second- or third-place finish was not out of the question.

"The team chemistry is the best that I've seen here," said Krupski. "There isn't really a men's and women's team; we're just the tennis team. Everyone is really supportive of each other. When the men had the day off they came to see the women play Emory. When the women had the day off they practiced with the men. It's an amazing amount of unity."

The team is currently very excited about the upcoming GLCA tournament, which is usually a big event for them. Everyone is expecting to do well. The men play Friday and Saturday at Denison while the women travel to DePauw both days.