On Tuesday, the women's tennis team buried UMass on the Topliff courts by a score of 9-0. The matches were hard-fought, but the result was lopsided as the Big Green came away with the sweep of the Minutemen. The win keeps Dartmouth's record perfect at 2-0 in dual matches after a trouncing of Boston University last week.
Dartmouth won five of the six singles matches in straight sets, leaving the Green the energy to make quick work of the doubles as well.
At the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, Michelle Bray '00 and Allison Taff '00 dominated their opponents 6-2, 6-1 and 6-1, 6-2, respectively.
Junior co-captain Sarah Anderson '99 also added a 6-1, 6-2 victory from her No. 6 spot.
Top-seed Rebecca Dirksen '00 also won in straight sets, though in a tighter match. Dirksen edged UMass's Marie-Christine Caron, 7-6 (7-5) in a first-set tiebreaker, before finishing her off at 6-4 in the second set.
Completing the singles sweep with victories were Carolyn Roth '01 and Courtney Smalley '01. Roth shut out her opponent in the first set on the way to a win, while Smalley dropped the first set before rallying to win the next two.
In doubles, the No. 1 tandem of Dirksen and Taff combined aggressive net play and timely lobs to establish control of the match, coming away with an 8-4 triumph.
Dartmouth's No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams also won their matches to ensure a perfect afternoon for the Big Green.
This past weekend, the Big Green turned in a strong showing at the eight-team Brown Invitational in Providence. Dartmouth's top-seed Dirksen placed fifth overall in singles while a doubles team consisting of Dirksen and Taff reached the doubles final.
The Big Green face a sterner test this coming weekend in the ITA Regionals, which will be held at Princeton and Yale.
These regionals pit the top 16 teams in the East against each other, with eight teams playing at Princeton and eight teams competing at Yale. The winners of each bracket face each other. Dartmouth is among the eight playing at Yale.
The regionals will allow the Big Green to prove their mettle, and a strong showing could earn the squad a top regional ranking.
Following this weekend's action, Dartmouth returns to the hardcourts of Topliff to face regional power Boston College, considered one of the top four teams in the East.
"The next week is really a big one," Dartmouth coach Chris Kerr said.
The next week promises to separate the contenders from the pretenders in the East. And, from most indications, the team figures to be among the contenders.
"We are peaking at just the right time," Kerr said. "And one of the really exciting things is that [the women] have been playing up to where they should be playing. They have really been playing up to their potential."
Despite the team's relative youth, the women are clearly talented and have already shown they can beat top teams.
"Everyone on the team is a very experienced competitor," Taff said. "So far, our team is doing exceptionally well, and I think we've proven to everyone just how competitive we can be."
