Dartmouth's women's tennis team was upset 7-0 Saturday by Boston University. Dartmouth struggled on the unusually surfaced tennis courts at BU's Track & Tennis Center, falling to the Terriers for the second year in a row.
The Big Green (8-5, 0-0 Ivy) is currently ranked No. 63 in the FILA collegiate national rankings. The team had been ranked as high as No. 53 on March 20 during its spring break trip to Florida. BU is only ranked 75th by FILA, making the Terriers' margin of victory particularly surprising.
"Boston University played a little better than we did," head coach Bob Dallis said. "BU shut us out, 7-0. I think that is the first match we played this year where we lost 7-0."
The tennis team was more than uncomfortable playing on BU's four courts. The courts are surrounded by a track and were surfaced using the same materials as the track which changed the pace of the game.
"It has the same surface as the indoor track; it's a major home advantage. The ball is slow and does not bounce like normal," captain Lindsay Winingham '07 said.
Dartmouth also felt the loss of two key players, both due to illness. Captain Kerry Snow '07 was out for the game with shin splints but is expected to return for Dartmouth's upcoming games. Jamie Caplan '09, who played a crucial role down the stretch in the Big Green's recent win against Furman, was out this past weekend with the flu.
The Big Green's only official win for the weekend came in one of the three doubles matches, where Maggie Suydam '08 and Jesse Adler '10 beat BU freshman Rebecca Row and sophomore Yana Sadovskaya, 8-5.
This year's lone walk-on, Julia Zak '10, won an exhibition match.
BU's four-court facility forced Adler, Suydam and Carley Markovitz '10, to start their No. 4, 5 and 6 singles matches without hope of winning the day.
"I think the last three matches that went on were pretty toughly fought," Snow said.
The Big Green played two singles matches competitively but was unable to convert at key moments and eventually dropped each singles match in straight sets. Markovitz in the No. 6 singles lost to freshman Elizabeth Corrao in the first set, 6-2. Markovitz came alive in the second set but still lost 7-6.
Lindsay Winingham in the No. 3 singles did not go down without a fight and struggled through both of her sets in a contest that see-sawed back and forth. Eventually she was defeated by Row, 7-5, 7-5.
"I played pretty well, but I was disappointed in the outcome," Lindsay Winingham said. "You know you can win the close matches, you know you can pull it out, but I missed a few balls that I cannot miss against that type of player."
Four of Dartmouth's singles matches were routs in BU's favor. Suydam lost 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5 singles. In the No. 1 singles match, Megan Zebroski '08 fell to senior Erin Katim 6-2, 6-2. Mary Beth Winingham '10 had trouble against Sadovskaya, losing 6-1, 6-2. Adler was unable to have a second victory for the day and fell to freshman Francine Why 6-1, 6-3.
Dartmouth started off the long day by losing the doubles point. Zebroski and Mary Beth Winingham in the No.1 doubles were soundly beaten by Katim and Francine Whu, 8-2. In the No. 2 doubles match, Lindsay Winingham and Natalie O'Rourke '08 played a much closer game against Katie Draganova and Corrao. After falling behind, the Big Green duo rallied back, pulling within a game at 6-5 before falling 8-5.
After the disappointing performance the team held a meeting to try to prepare for its upcoming Ivy play.
"This match motivates us more going into the main season, the Ivy League season," Lindsay Winingham said.
Next weekend, the Big Green will head to New York where it will play at Columbia on Friday, April 6 at 2 p.m. The following day, the team will take on Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., at noon.
