For the twenty or so spectators watching the women's tennis match against Boston University on the Berry courts on Saturday, the outcome looked anything but bleak. After all, the Big Green had swept the first three singles matches and were playing solidly.
But in the end, the Terriers proved to be too tough, as they swept spots four through six in the singles matches as well as the doubles competition en route to a 6-3 victory.
Head Coach Chris Kerr's squad was unable to avenge a disappointing 5-4 loss in the fall to BU, as it slipped to 5-6 overall on the season.
Playing without one of their star players, Michelle Bray '00, who is suffering from a stress fracture, the Big Green were forced to alter the bottom of its line-up, forcing players to move up a position.
In the opening matches, Dartmouth appeared poised and confident as the one-two punch of freshmen Rebecca Dirksen and Allison Taff recorded identical scores (6-3, 7-5) as they routed BU's top players.
Despite a slow start to the second set, Dirksen rallied behind huge crowd support to pull off the match. Similarly, Taff took a while to get rolling, but once she did, there was no stopping her.
Playing right next to each other, the two court-aces smacked deep forehands relentlessly, keeping the opposition pinned up against the fence.
Captain Kallie Buehler '97 recorded the Big Green's only other win of the day with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 dismantling of Karen Shostakovsky. After losing a tight first set, Buehler regained her composure and stomped on Shostakovsky.
As the sun began to set, however, so did the Big Green's chances of victory.
After Jennifer Lange '00 lost a 6-3, 7-5 battle at No. 4 singles, junior Katie Kirkmire fell in an epic three-setter.
"Despite the fact that we knew BU was a tough team, I think that everyone played with a lot of intensity and focus," Sarah Anderson '99 said. "It was a good match to have in preparation for the upcoming Ivy season because we know we can compete with the best teams in the East."
The Big Green head South next weekend for Ancient Eight match-ups against Penn and Columbia.
