After months of confinement in Farley Field House, the Bowdoin Women's Tennis Team hit the courts to notch an 8-1 win against MIT.
The return of Kara Perriello '06 from injury and the encouraging success of the doubles teams on Saturday showed that the Polar Bears are hitting their stride at the perfect point in the season.
The team, coached by Jane Paterson, entered the spring season with a strong record of 9-4 (4-2 in NESCAC play). Thanks to hard training all winter, the team's skills are honed and its competitive drive is unquenchable as Bowdoin stands poised to take on all competitors.
The team's record of 9-4 has been compiled over a period of months, with its first match, a 7-2 drubbing of the Connecticut College Camels, taking place way back on September 15.
The women enjoyed an undefeated September before losing two hotly contested matches against NESCAC powerhouses Tufts and Amherst in early October.
However, the women bounced back quickly and finished their fall season with crushing victories against Bates and Wheaton at home.
The Bears then had to channel their excitement for victory into their training-for almost five months-until their Spring Break trip to Hawaii.
In Hawaii, the women proved that they are not afraid to take on powerful Division II programs and emerged battle-tested, optimistic, and ready for conference play.
This weekend, the women will travel south to play three matches in two days against Williams, Smith, and Trinity, hoping to gain even more momentum and confidence in their quest to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Junior captain Julia Shaver is confident about the team's chances. "There is an amazing amount of depth on the team this year," said Shaver, "and although this has made solidifying both the singles and doubles line-up an especially difficult task this spring, it is exciting in that this is probably the best chance the women's team has had at reaching our ultimate goal- nationals."
Shaver also believes that the experience of seasoned veterans will result in tenacious play on the court. "With three talented seniors," she said, "this year seems to be a prime opportunity to reach that goal."
The women's tennis team will play Williams and Smith at Smith College tomorrow at 10:30 a.m., followed by a road matchup against a strong Trinity program on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
The women will use these matches to demonstrate the team's strength and prepare themselves for critical matches in the NESCAC tournament on April 16 and in an important home matchup against Middlebury on April 24.