Women
On Saturday, the women’s tennis team topped No. 10 Middlebury in a hard-fought match, winning by a final score of 5-4.
The Polar Bears have now won three in a row after losing to Amherst and Emory two weekends ago, and are now 13-4 (6-1 NESCAC).
“Emory and Amherst—although we lost both of them—we definitely learned a lot from them and they were close matches,” said Tiffany Cheng ’16. “[The games] proved to us that we are at the top level and can compete there.”
Tomorrow, the women will host Williams at 10 a.m. The Ephs are expected to be a tough opponent, according to the team.
“Regionals usually break down to us versus Middlebury,” said Cheng. “Last year we unfortunately lost and didn’t get the chance to advance to nationals. However this year we’ve got a pretty good shot.”
Cheng mentioned that the Polar Bears’ consistency in doubles matches has improved tremendously since last year.
“In the last couple matches we’ve been able to go up 2-1 even against the top schools in doubles, which was unusual last year,” she said.
Men
The men’s tennis team’s long ride home from Vermont felt even longer after an upsetting 7-2 loss to the No. 8 Middlebury Panthers last weekend.
Middlebury grabbed an early advantage by taking two of three doubles matches. The Polar Bears’ lone doubles win came from the No. 1 team of Sam King ’14 and Luke Trinka ’16. The No. 3 team of Chris Lord ’14 and Chase Savage ’16 fell by a heartbreaking match score of 9-8 (8-6).
During singles play, Savage saw an injury flare up within the first two points of his match.
“Against a tough team, even the littlest things will make a difference,” Hugh Mo ’17 said of Savage’s injury.
With Savage’s quick defeat, a series of other first set losses were set into motion. King was the next one to step off the court, with a straight set defeat to the Panthers’ Brantner Jones.
Trinka followed with a convincing win at the No. 2 position (6-3 6-2), which turned out to be the Polar Bears’ only singles win for the day. At No. 1, Noah Bragg ’15 battled the Panthers’ Alex Johnston into three sets, but ultimately lost.
The Polar Bears lost against Bates on Wednesday 5-4. The team returns to action at home tomorrow against Williams at 2 p.m. and again Sunday against Stevens.