Once I got past the initial awe of the place, it was time to find out how the women that play there are preparing for their winter season, which begins Friday night in a matchup with Army.
Dartmouth wrapped up its fall season after playing in the Big Green Invitational on Oct. 31, and has not played competitively since.
But head coach Bob Dallis and assistant coach Jayme Ahmed '05 are not worried, since their team came back from winter break in peak condition.
"Everybody did a good job of playing over break and looked good when they came back," said Dallis. "Jayme was commenting on how much more consistent people were as soon as we started hitting with them in January."
The reappearance of Lindsay Winingham '07, Kerry Snow '07 and Natalie O'Rourke '08, who return after taking the fall term off, is also beneficial to the team.
Boasting a full roster of 11 players, Dallis believes that his team's greatest strength is its depth. With many quality players vying for a spot in the starting lineup, the coaching staff has not yet decided on the rotation.
The team is set at the top, however, with All-Ivy honorees Winingham and Megan Zebroski '08 returning for the Lady Green. For the team to improve on a 2005 season that saw it ranked as high as No. 63 in the country, it is crucial that the Big Green's top guns remain healthy.
"We can't afford any injuries at the top of our lineup," Dallis said. "We're not ready to have someone from the lower half of the lineup step up into the difficult one-through-three positions."
The team will also look to its two seniors and co-captains Katie Jaxheimer '06 and Ann Scott '06 for leadership. In a largely individual sport, the duo hopes it can foster a strong sense of team unity.
"One of our goals this season is to have a team goal rather than just an individual goal, so we are working on that," said Jaxheimer.
The winter season is typically used as preparation for Ivy League play come springtime, so it's important to schedule tough competition early in the season.
With powers from the Big East and Big Ten including Boston College, Minnesota and Iowa on the schedule, the Dartmouth women will certainly be tested.
But first on their schedule are the Black Knights of Army, who invade the Boss Tennis Center on Friday.
Traditionally, the Black Knights have not posed a problem for the team, as Dartmouth has beaten them the last three years -- and this year should be no different. The Big Green should be able to take advantage of Army's youth. Of the thirteen women on the Army roster, only two are seniors and the rest are freshmen and sophomores.
"Army has a good, solid team," said Dallis. "Definitely a nice team to open up against because we should be favored going into that match, so we should walk out of there with a good degree of confidence. But you still have to play very well and take care of business."
"They are obviously girls that can fight really well," said Scott jokingly. "It should be a brawl."
While Dartmouth probably won't throw down with Army -- even though Thompson Arena is right next-door -- it should be exciting to see how the Big Green starts off its winter campaign. The first match is set for 6 p.m. on Friday.
