Volume 118 >> Issue 19 : Tuesday, April 14, 1998

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Tennis Team Loses Two Tough Matches

The women's tennis team hosted its only match of the season on Wednesday against Brandeis University. Despite their efforts, the team was unable to overcome both the gusty winds and cold weather, falling to Brandeis by a score of 7­2. "Considering the conditions and the opponents, I thought we played really well. We certainly played hard and fought for every point," said Team Captain Nisha Singh '00.

The most exciting match came in first singles, where Angela Mislowsky '99 prevailed in three dramatic sets by a score of 5­7, 7­5, 7­5. Ayako Tanaka '00 and Doana Cecan '00 both lost by scores of 6­2, 6­1 at second and third singles, respectively. Singh fell 6­1, 6­1 at fourth, while Shikha Gupta '01 lost 6­3, 6­1 at fifth singles. Jessica Yeh '01 was defeated 6­1, 6­0 at sixth singles.

In other singles matches, Yue Zhang '01 lost 6­0, 6­2 at seventh singles, while Jenny Hsieh '01 at eighth singles, pushed her second set to a tie-breaker before losing 6­2, 7­6(5). Sailu Challipalli '01 was defeated 6­0, 6­1 at ninth singles. Katy Kaminski '01 picked up a win at tenth singles, 6­3, 6­0, however Tina Chang '01 fought hard at eleventh singles, and lost 6­3, 7­5.

In doubles play, Mislowsky andSingh won at first doubles by default after a bizarre twist of events. Tanaka and Cecan played a terrific match at second doubles, but lost 8­5. Gupta and Hsieh were defeated 8­3 at third, while Zhang and Yeh played an excellent match, but lost 9­7 at fourth doubles, in what turned out to be the last match. Kosanna Poon '01 and Smrithi Banthia '99 lost 8­2 at fifth doubles.

Though disappointed, the team had many reasons to walk off the courts with their heads held high. "We really showed our mental toughness today, and some of our players played the best I've seen them play. I am very proud of their determination and attitude out there. They really wore their hearts on their sleeves today," said Head Coach Carol Matsuzaki.

The team travelled to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on Saturday. Under sunny blue skies and perfect conditions, the team lost 9­0 to a talented Vassar team. "We had some close matches that could have gone either way. There were also some sets that were very close. However, every point was a battle in each match. We gave away nothing to the Vassar team," said Singh.

Mislowsky and Singh lost 8­2 at first doubles after taking the early lead. Tanaka and Cecan lost 8­3 at second doubles in a match that featured increasing competitiveness as the match progressed. Zhang and Hsieh and Gupta and Yeh both lost by scores of 8­2 in third and fourth doubles, respectively. Kaminski and Banthia found a way to win at fifth doubles, 8­5, after frequently finding themselves behind.

Mislowsky again pushed her match to three sets, but this time she could not pull it out, losing 2­6, 6­3, 6­2. Tanaka lost 6­1, 6­1 and Cecan fell 6­0, 6­0 at second and third singles, respectively. Singh lost 6­1, 6­0 at fourth, while Gupta was defeated 6­2, 6­3 at fifth singles. Yeh came back to almost push her opponent to a decisive third set at sixth singles, but lost the match 6­2, 6­4.

Zhang also played an excellent match at seventh singles, but lost 7­5, 6­1, after coming close to winning the first set. Hsieh was defeated 6­2, 6­2, at eighth singles, while Kaminski was defeated 6­3, 6­2 at ninth singles. Banthia was able to go the distance at tenth singles, but succumbed to her opponent 6­4, 4­6, 6­2, in a match that lasted well into the afternoon.

"This is the best we've competed so far this season. I was very happy to see our women fight so hard for every ball. We just need more match experience. Our doubles play is making major improvements every time we compete. I am extremely proud of our progress," said Matsuzaki. The team will travel to Wellesley this weekend to compete in the New England showcase for the season.