VARSITY ATHLETICS

April 22, 2008

Women's Tennis Enjoys Trip To The "Gateway To the West"...

By Sophomore Jennifer Clever - Ashland, Ohio

Wow, what a weekend! These past few days the women’s tennis team traveled to St. Louis, Missouri for the UAA Championships, held at Washington University. The campus was gorgeous, with beautiful architectural buildings and the nicest tennis courts I’ve ever played on. Upon arrival, after practicing for several hours at the tennis courts, the team decided to visit the St. Louis Zoo. Not only was the zoo itself absolutely incredible, but it was a fantastic bonding experience for the entire team. Getting to know the other girls on a personal level, rather than the usual competitive atmosphere of tennis, really made a difference in bringing us closer together.

On Friday, the real action began as we faced Emory University, from Atlanta, in our first match of the tournament. Though well aware that Emory has been the reigning champion of the UAA tournament for twenty years in a row, our team went into the match with our heads held high, ready to give it all we had. Though we fell to Emory 0-9, talking to my teammates yielded promising results. My teammates and I were able to agree that once the intimidation factor wore off and we were able to calm our nerves, we were able to play some great tennis, with almost every girl earning several games off her opponent. While we each had many great points against Emory, the team was a very talented team that was highly difficult to beat. They were a very humble team; however, always accrediting great shots and making fair line calls, which I highly respected of them. They later went on to win the championship for the twenty-first time; a much-deserved win.

Friday night posed an additional opportunity for both intra-team and inter-team bonding, as the annual banquet was held at a local country club. Each table was a mixed group of girls from each of the different universities, providing a chance for us all to get to know each other a little bit better, once again, on a personal level. It was quite interesting to see an opponent, who in a match was so competitive and disagreeable; instead in a social setting, laughing and smiling in a dress and high heels. It was a nice reminder; however, of how important it is to leave everything on the court, despite the competitive tension which tennis occasionally produces.

Early Saturday morning the team prepared for round two in the tournament against Brandeis University, from Boston. Unfortunately, our team did not play as well as would have hoped this round, as we lost to Brandeis 0-5, and the match was decided a loss before singles competition needed to continue. We were able to shake off the loss; however, and were not going to allow it to affect our third and final round of play. Round three was against the University of Rochester, from New York, and produced arguably the best tennis of the season for our Case tennis team. Personally, my match remained very close throughout its duration, but after several hours of a very hard-fought match, I fell to Rochester 3-6, 5-7. Despite the loss, I felt great about the way I played, and was thrilled to end the season on such a well-fought match. Speaking to my teammates, most agreed that they each had played their hardest and fought until the end. Rochester’s team was a very consistent team, making very few unforced errors and therefore proved victorious in each of the matches. Much like Emory, Rochester had a very nice team, calling fair line calls and accrediting good points. Our team agreed that it was the perfect match to end the season on.

Overall, the weekend was absolutely fabulous; from the incredible tennis we played to the invaluable team bonding which we experienced, to the opportunity to represent our school with pride. Though the statistics show a loss, I think my teammates would agree that we had a very successful weekend, one to be proud of!

Posted by: Creg Jantz April 22, 2008 04:17 PM | Category: Women's Tennis

Posted by: cnj4 (Creg Jantz) April 22, 2008 04:17 PM | Comments (0) | Trackback