The Big Green women's tennis team got off to an impressive start to its 2003-2004 campaign by posting a pair of excellent performances at the Volkl Shootout and the Quinnipiac Invitational.
The season-opening Volkl Shootout took place at Dartmouth on September 19-21 and featured Boston University, Brown, Colgate and the University of Connecticut in addition to the Big Green. Dartmouth garnered an overall record of 25-12 in the round robin format, with 18 of those victories coming in singles play.
The first competition of the year for the team served as a showcase for the new talent on the Big Green: freshmen Lindsay Winingham and Kerry Snow. Winingham compiled a blistering 8-0 record over the weekend, with four wins coming in singles and four in doubles with partner Ann Scott '06.
Winingham did not drop a single set during her quartet of singles contests as she pounded opponents from all four opposing schools. Her closest match came in a tight victory over Colgate's Jamie Maldow, whom Winingham topped 6-4, 7-5.
Equally impressive was fellow freshman Snow, who also boasted an unblemished singles record. The Minnesota native picked up three wins in her first competition as a member of the Big Green.
The returning Dartmouth players enjoyed similar success. Scott added two singles triumphs to her four doubles victories to gain a 6-0 mark for the tournament. Co-captain Catherine Crandall notched a 3-1 record playing in the A-flight singles competition, notching wins over adversaries from Brown, UConn and Colgate.
Kelsey Surbaugh '04 prevailed three times in singles, highlighted by a three-set win over Michelle Paulter of Brown. Surbaugh overcame a first-set loss to storm back and win in a final-set superbreaker, 6-7, 6-1 (10-4). Katie Jaxheimer '06 began her second season as a member of the Big Green well, defeating her singles foes from UConn and Colgate.
Notable in the tournament results was the sweep of Boston University's doubles teams by the Big Green in a trio of hard-fought matches. Against the Terriers, Crandall and Jaxheimer won 9-7 at No. 1 doubles, Scott and Winingham squeaked out a 9-8 (4) victory at No. 2 and Sarah McNally '05 and Snow prevailed 8-4 at No. 3.
Additionally, Dartmouth fared well in its first taste of Ivy League play. The Big Green attained a winning record against Brown in singles by taking three of the five head-to-head matches against their league rival.
Dartmouth built on its success at the Volkl Shootout with a terrific performance at the Quinnipiac Invitational on September 26 and 27. The Big Green won 19 of its 22 matches and advanced to the finals of five of the tournament's six flights. The only thing that could stem the success of the Big Green was Mother Nature, as inclement weather forced the cancellation of Sunday's play and barred the players from playing the tournament finals.
In the singles A flight, McNally blitzed through the competition from Army, UConn and New Hampshire, while only dropping one set in the process. Dartmouth players ruled the C flight, as Jaxheimer and Snow both reached the finals. Jaxheimer only dropped a total of three games in three matches, while Snow lost a paltry six games in her three contests.
Even more impressive was the play of the Big Green doubles teams. The three pairings went a combined 6-0, and all three flights featured a Dartmouth team in the final.
"Our doubles especially has improved greatly since last year, and it is important to keep that momentum going in order to capture more doubles points in the dual-match season," Jaxheimer said. "The difference in attitude between this season and last is remarkable. Everyone is playing with more confidence and with stronger games than they were at the beginning of last season."
Dartmouth next competes this weekend at the Ivy League Challenge at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, N.Y. where the Big Green will look to continue its excellent play.
