Tough competition proved no match for the Oberlin College women’s tennis team as they downed Otterbein College on Saturday to improve their season record to 2-1.
In a match-up of two talented and experienced teams, Oberlin found a way to push through some rough spots to win 6-3.
The narrow score is somewhat deceptive, since the match was already decided when Oberlin lost two close matches to conclude the day’s events.
Otterbein, who returned most of its players after a second place Ohio Athletic Conference finish last season, pushed Oberlin harder than expected toward the bottom of the lineup.
Despite her team’s victory, sophomore Melanie Merz commented on how their play could have been better.
“This weekend was a reminder of how important it is to go into a match with the right attitude,” she said. “If I can stay more focused on the court, during both matches and practice, it will be incredibly helpful to my game.”
The number one doubles tandem of sophomore Ary Amerikaner and senior Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz blitzed their opponent by winning 8-0. This set the tone of the match for the home team.
Second doubles, consisting of sophomore Jessica Hauser and junior Whitney Reichheld, won a back-and-forth match 8-4, while the third doubles team of senior Laura Koehn and freshman Kate Lurain dropped a heartbreaker in a well-played match by the score of 8-6.
In singles action, Oberlin took four of six matches, though all were extremely close. Fotiu-Wojtowicz pushed her singles record to 3-0 as she won 6-3, 6-4 at the top spot.
“I am disappointed with how I performed,” Hauser said. “I am very happy that the team won, that matters much more than a personal win.”
Up next for Oberlin is a pivotal match that will set the tone for the workouts before spring break. Oberlin travels to Holland, Mich., to face a Hope College squad placing amongst the upper echelon of teams in the region.