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Smith vs Tufts |
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Score 0-9 |
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Confident, prepared, and eager for competition, Smith Tennis players arrived to their home courts on Tuesday, September 10 ready to take on the Jumbos from Tufts University. The first challenge came before the teams hit the courts. Tufts had promised Smith 16 players but only 12 arrived on the van. The eight eager players from both the varsity1 and varsity2 teams from Smith who did not get a chance to compete on this 90 degree day still came to the match to support their team. Although rightfully disappointed these dedicated players never showed anything but a positive spirit by cheering from the sidelines and staying for the entire match. This dedication and teammate support is what makes Smith Tennis special. A thanks goes out to Ashley Green, Elizabeth Maynard, Sarah Meacham and Maija Welton from the varsity1 team who did not have a chance to compete but who gave a great deal of themselves to the team and showed what is the best of Smith College Tennis. After introductions it was clear that this match would not resemble the easy victory Smith had in their opener against Clark on Saturday. The Tufts line-up was completely in tact from NCAA nationally ranked team from last year. Everyone returned from the Jumbo team with the addition of two nationally ranked first years .Smith retained their positive focus. At 4:10pm, the doubles teams took the court. Lauren Kemp and Ruth Linz teamed up at number one doubles. Lauren had strained a hamstring muscle that occurred during warm-up. The imposing red headed duo found they were fighting from a deficit and plagued by unforced errors from the first game. Lauren stayed stoic and competitive in spite of her limited movement. Ruth stayed determined and the two fought hard for each point they were able to win in the 8-2 loss. Although disappointed with the outcome, the team of Lauren and Ruth were already strategizing in preparation for the next meeting. At number 2 doubles Ashley Kilgore and Liz Laudeman took on the veteran team of Pisheva and Saeed. The two Smithies communicated well, pumped each other up and continued to encourage each other to come to the net. In spite of all the good things that Liz and Ashley did, Tufts had an answer defeating Smith 8-2. The first year team of Cami Whitney and Joanna Wong showed improvement in their doubles style from Saturday. Cami reminded herself that she needed to stay aggressive and Joanna came forward on every opportunity putting pressure on the Tufts team of Warshauer and Miller but that was not enough and the third doubles went down to Tufts 3-8. The spirit of the Pioneers never faltered as Smith shook off the doubles loss and headed to the courts in singles competition. Lauren Kemp, at number one doubles, never looked for an excuse but was limited in her lateral movement. Even though Lauren fought to come in and force the passing shot from Jennifer in an effort to avoid being run from corner to corner, Jennifer rose to the occasion and hit the passing shots with pace and precision. Ashley Kilgore played an exciting match against Lisa Miller. She played her point for point but in the end Ashley won the points and Lisa the games and eventually the match in straight sets. Liz Laudeman found herself pitted against fellow “Buckeye” Katie Nordstrom. Liz knew the strategy she needed to use but was not consistent enough this early in the season to outlast the seasoned competitor . Ruth Linz played the longest match. Feeling that she was making too many unforced errors early in the match, Ruth adjusted her style, slowed down the game and took the angles away from the savvy Iffy Saeed. By the end of the match Ruth found the delicate balance of offensive and defensive play but it was not soon enough to turn the match around and she lost to Saeed 2-6, 3-6. Joanna Wong took on first year Rebecca Bram. Joanna moved and hit with certainty and experience but the balls fell short and Rebecca took advantage by attacking the short ball and driving Joanna off the court with deep balls to the corner. Joanna worked very hard and kept the ball in play for 12-14 hits per point but found it difficult to get out of the defensive mode in this match. Mariel Elguero at number 6 doubles found herself in much the same situation as Joanna. Her opponent Trina Spear hit hard deep shots that prevented Mariel from getting control of the point and putting her in a defensive posture. Mariel ran down many balls but was unable to convert the individual points into games. The competition on this hot Tuesday afternoon was tough but the Smith Pioneers were anything but discouraged. Coach Chris Davis was proud of the way that the varsity squad competed indicating that they gave their all and challenged this Tufts team. The score was not indicative of the match played. Smith showed fortitude and tenacity on every court and will only improve over the course of this season. |
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