Don't you hate it when you have studied really hard for an exam, then come test time you realize that you're in way over your head?
Well, for the Dartmouth women's tennis team, that's the way things have been going for the past few weeks.
Including Saturday's 7-0 loss to Boston University at the Boss Tennis Center, the Big Green has lost its last four matches without picking up a single point. To make things worse, only one Big Green player has forced a third set in a singles match during that streak.
"It's not like the effort isn't there," said Lindsay Winingham '07, who has been sidelined the past two weeks with a wrist injury. "We have been going up against some really tough teams. That's the price you pay when you decide to have such a tough schedule, but we'll be better for it."
A "tough schedule" is certainly an understatement. Two of the teams Dartmouth (4-9) played over spring break were ranked nationally -- No. 55 Florida International and No. 41 University of South Florida -- and on Saturday, the girls from BU (12-5) were physically bigger and stronger than the Big Green's typical opposition.
"[BU] likes to hit the ball hard," said senior co-captain Ann Scott '06. "Our team is a lot more touch and consistency, but we have to get used to that because Penn and Harvard also like to hit it hard."
Dartmouth scored an impressive 8-5 win in first doubles courtesy of Megan Zebroski '08 and Natalie O'Rourke '08, but that would be the only Big Green victory on the day. The Terriers won the next two doubles matches 8-3 and 8-4, respectively, to pick
up the doubles point.
In singles play, Zebroski had another good performance against BU's best player, and in the first set, she had the lead, 3-2. But after Gina Sabatino picked up a break point to go up 6-5, the match slipped away from Zebroski. She would go on to lose 7-6, 6-3.
BU's hardest hitter was probably Erin Katims, who squared off against Kerry Snow '07 at the No. 2 singles spot. Snow made a great effort to stay in the match, but too often, she was content with simply returning the ball, while Katims focused on hitting winners and blistering passing shots.
Katims won the first set 6-2 and jumped out to a daunting 5-0 lead in the second. But at the end of the fifth game, she hit herself in the leg with her racket, leaving a huge bruise on her shin and opening the window or an amazing comeback. Snow fought back to win the next game, but somehow Katims played through her injury to close out the match 6-1.
"It's hard to get used to playing inside again after being in Florida," said Scott. But [today] was good because we all saw things that we need to work on, even if it doesn't look good on paper."
The Big Green has been playing the past two weeks with two of its top players sidelined with injuries. Winingham, who has played most of the year at the No. 1 spot, is expected to return next week. However, Maggie Suydam '08, who typically plays in the fourth spot, is out indefinitely.
The injuries have caused everyone to move up two spots in the lineup, which is a huge jump, according to Winingham, and can be a cause of the losing streak.
Dartmouth will be back in action at home on Friday when it opens Ivy League play against Columbia at 3 p.m.
