The women's tennis team closed out the regular season with a loss to No.1 Williams last Saturday, ending with a conference record of 5-3 and a 10-7 overall record. The Polar Bears only suffered three conference losses all season, all to higher-ranked teams.
Riding high after its 9-0 shutout against Bates two days earlier, Bowdoin took two out of three doubles sets against the Ephs. The match against Williams marked the debut of Bowdoin's new doubles lineup.
"Finding pairings of people that complement each other is key," Emma Chow '15 said. "We weren't coming out with a winning record from doubles. The new teams definitely are an improvement."
Despite heading into singles with the lead, Bowdoin took only one singles victory, courtesy of Emma Lewis '14. The team found itself plagued by a trifecta of close three-set losses.
"When we lose these tight sets it makes us want to win even more," Chow said. "It's not like these really good teams are just crushing us. We know we're right there with them."
Standing fourth in the conference, Bowdoin plays Tufts today at Williams in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. Despite a resounding 8-1 victory over the Jumbos two weeks ago, Chow said the team "can't take them lightly because they're going to be the ones wanting revenge."
The winner of the first round plays reigning national champion Williams in the semifinals tomorrow. A victory over the Ephs in NESCACs would mean a spot in the NCAA tournament.
-Compiled by Christine Rheem.