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Nine
members of the
Smith
College tennis team, along with coaches Chris Davis and Chuck Johnson,
headed down to Orlando, Florida for spring break this past week. Welcomed
with lots of sun and muggy temperatures, Smith College tennis embraced the
warmth after a long winter in Northampton, MA. After settling in at
Altamonte
Springs,
just outside of Orlando, the girls were psyched and ready for a week of hard
work on the courts and team bonding off-court. The week included of intense
practices where hydration and staying cool was a plus, a trip to The Islands
of Adventures theme park, shopping, competitive games of HORSE in
basketball, and plenty of time spent at the hotel pool/hot tub area.
After a few days of preparation and acclimatization, Smith took on two tough
schools for our Thursday matches. Starting off our day was University of
Hartford. Smith tennis began with a cautious start in doubles play;
however, the team managed to collect a win at 2nd doubles with Ruth Linz
(‘06) and Ashley Kilgore (’05) fighting for every point ending in an 8-3
score. Singles proved to be a formidable match-up as well, with University
of Hartford testing the team’s mental strength and as well as physical
endurance in the heat of the day. There were a number of close matches,
especially at 4th singles where Liz Laudeman (‘03) almost pulled off a win.
After keeping her opponent at bay with her mean slice forehand and
determination to stay in every point, Liz succumbed with a score of
4-6,5-7. Smith’s sole singles win came from Ruth Linz at 2nd singles (6-2,
7-5), where she defeated a hard-hitting opponent with huge forehands and an
amazing defensive style. The final match score against University of
Hartford was 2-7.
In the afternoon action, the Smith team was able to come back in much
improved spirits after an impromptu dip in the pool and a few hours of
recuperation. Facing NYU at 4pm with a slightly different line-up, Smith
tennis headed out for singles matches first. NYU was another strong
opponent, but Smith showed our potential and many of the matches could have
gone to either team. As it was, Joanna Wong (‘06) (6-1,6-4) and Nora
Testerman(‘03) (6-3, 6-2) came away with wins at 5th and 6th singles
respectively; Cami Whitney (‘06) and Ashley Kilgore (‘05) also showed great
persistence at 2nd and 3rd singles, but were unable to capture wins.
Doubles play followed with a decisive 8-0 domination at 2nd doubles from
ruthless Joanna and Ruth. At 3rd doubles, Liz Maynard ('03) and Nora
Testerman ('03) stayed patient and mentally tough to come up with an 8-6
victory, which brought our team to a close 4-5 final match score against
NYU.
The week was rounded off by a lovely day at Cocoa Beach (much thanks to Rob
and Barb Griffis for allowing us full run of their condo by the beach). We
finished out a fun and satisfying trip with some sun and much-needed
relaxation. Spring break was a great time for Smith to prepare for the
upcoming spring matches and to spend a lot of great time off-court in
bringing the team together as a more cohesive unit. We owe a wonderful time
to our gracious and ceaselessly giving “chaperones” Chris and Chuck and to
our generous supporters who participated in our annual fundraising
tournament who made our trip financially possible. Smith's next match will
be Saturday, March 29th against Brandeis and Wesleyan. Come support Smith
Tennis!!
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