The women's tennis team started out its 2010 spring season with a successful Spring Break trip to California. Playing in seven matches overall, the Polar Bears went 5-2, falling to eighth nationally-ranked Pomona-Pitzer and to highly-ranked D-II team Azusa Pacific.
The team improved its national standing by five places, jumping to 11th place after beginning the season in the 16th slot.
The team started out its season on March 14 at Pomona College, suffering a 7-2 loss against the Sagehens.
"Our Pomona match was the first of the trip and I think everyone had first-match jitters," senior captain Liz Pedowitz said. "We all believe we could beat them if we had another try."
The team then bounced back the next day to soundly put away the Trinity University Tigers of Texas 6-3.
On March 16, the women crushed Sewanee University 8-1, with the Polar Bear's sweeping all six singles matches and dominating 2-1 in doubles play. Emily Lombardi '12, Hannah Hoerner '12 and Brett Davis '10 led the Bowdoin team, all picking up two points each.
On March 19 the Polar Bears defeated No. 17 ranked University of the Redlands 7-2. Trailing 2-1 after doubles play, the team came back to dominate singles, losing only one set in all six matches.
First year pair Nikki Kuna and Chantalle Lavertu brought in Bowdoin's only point in single's play. This year's victory avenged a 6-3 loss to the Redland Bulldogs last year.
The women's team then succeeded in grabbing their fourth straight win in an impressive 7-2 upset against No. 10 ranked Chapman University on March 21.
Bowdoin's dominance continued in a 8-1 defeat of Whitman College on the 23rd.
The Polar Bears gave up just one set in all of singles play and pairs Kellen Alberstone '13 and Davis and Kuna and Lavertu took two of three doubles matches to put the icing on the cake.
Looking forward to the rest of the season, Pedowitz summed up the feelings of the whole team.
"Hobie, our coach, told us that every match he wanted to see us improve five percent," she said. "I think we all did that, and by the end of the trip we were playing some of the best tennis I've seen this year...If we continue to improve and play hard and enjoy it, we can definitely beat some of the top teams in the NESCAC."
The women's tennis team travels to Connecticut College on April 3 for its next match.