Courtsey of Brian Beard

The women’s tennis team (12–4; 6–2 NESCAC) added two more wins to its record last weekend, beating Colby College (6–8; 3–5 NESCAC) and Nichols College (11–9). The Polar Bears now have only two regular season matches remaining before the NESCAC playoffs.

The Polar Bears opened their doubleheader at Colby. Rainy weather kept the matches indoors on a slower court surface than usual, but patience and persistence paid off in the 5–2 win.

Bella Hartung ’28 emphasized how the team prepared for uncontrollable weather conditions to gear up for the matches.

“We knew going into this weekend that we didn’t know what the weather was going to be like. We jumped between [practicing] indoors and outdoors, just so we could be ready for whatever surface or whatever environment. It ended up being that we played one match indoors and one match outdoors [this weekend], so it was perfect,” Hartung said.

Julia Ross ’27 noted how relying on hard work and practice helped catalyze the win.

“Our coach always tells us it’s hard to walk into someone’s home gym and beat them,” Ross said. “But we stuck to our game plans, kept our heads down and worked, and we ended up [winning], which is super exciting.”

Suzanne Pogorelec ’28 noted how many of the individual matches unfolded in a similar manner.

“The singles matches were very gritty. [Jamilah Karah ’25] and I were next to each other, and both of our opponents were steady and making a lot of balls,” Pogorelec said. “We really had to be patient and build up the point before trying to make a winner.”

One of the team’s strengths is how the players cheer each other on, especially when playing indoors where match scheduling is different and players can spectate their peers.

“I got to be one of the first singles matches on,” Hartung said. “It was super cool to have my doubles partner and some of my teammates that normally would be playing [at the same time] cheering me on right from the beginning.”

Pogorelec added that much of the team’s success can be attributed to a sense of trust and positivity.

“We’ve stayed so strong as a team in general,” she said. “We’re such a close group in terms of energy and trust in one another.”

Ross also elaborated on other ways the team has developed the mental aspect of its play throughout this season.

“Our team has been working a lot on being mentally tough. We meet with a mindfulness coach once a week, which really helps us stay grounded and focused,” Ross said.

On top of the mental aspect, having a strong support system on the sidelines catapulted the Polar Bears to their win against Nichols. For this match, the Polar Bears played outdoors at home for the first time this season.

“This was our first home match that we got to play outdoors, because the weather’s finally been nicer,” Ross said. “It was great playing down the line and having our friends and the family come to support us.”

A special highlight for captains Candice Ballarin ’25 and Karah was getting to play doubles together.

“I was able to watch our captains play doubles. That was a really cool moment, because that’s the first time they’ve ever played together,” Hartung said. “It was really fun to cheer them on and get to see them win.”

Pogorelec emphasized how strong individual performances culminated together to solidify the Nichols win.

“I watched [Marie Frati ’28]’s match a lot. She was putting things away, using her forehand to dictate the point and hitting lots of winners,” Pogorelec said. “Then, [Phoebe Thorne ’27] had a great match at six, and she split sets. At one point, she was down in the ten point tiebreaker, and then came back and was coming to the net, hitting overheads and being super bold, which is one of our [team] values. We all had a conversation about that match, and we were just talking about how lucky we are to have such a supportive team.”

The team hopes to carry this momentum into its final weekend of regular season play and beyond.

“We’ve really been focusing on not letting up on the gas, until we get through NESCACs and hopefully reach the NCAA championships,” Ross said. “This past weekend was just another test of: ‘Are we still working hard and not letting up?’”

Additionally, this weekend’s matches against Bates College (5–12; 3–5 NESCAC) and Tufts University (14–4; 5–3 NESCAC) will be a chance to celebrate the team’s seniors, Ballarin and Karah.

“With it being our senior weekend, we’re all super excited,” Hartung said. “The energy is just so natural this week, and so I’m hoping that that just continues as we go into this weekend.”