The Dartmouth men's and women's tennis teams experienced successful outcomes in their matches this weekend on Senior Day. The men's team dominated both Brown University and Yale University, raising its season record to 4-2 in the Ivy League. Although the women fell to the Bulldogs, breaking their undefeated run, their victory over the Brown Bears keeps their hope of becoming League champions alive.
The women's team beat previously undefeated Brown, 4-3, in a closely contested match on Friday.
After losing all three doubles matches, Dartmouth rallied in singles, coming out on top with four victories from Sarah Leonard '13 in second singles, Melissa Matsuoka '14 in third, co-captain Georgiana Smyser '11 in fifth and Christina Danosi '13 in sixth. The singles round was no cakewalk, as four matches went to three sets, three of which contributed to Dartmouth's score.
Smyser said the win against Brown was especially exciting, as it marks the first time the women's tennis team has made a serious championship bid.
Co-captain Ryan Reichel '11 said the seniors' last home match was a memorable one.
"For sure, Molly [Scott '11], Georgie and I were really excited that we could end our careers at home with a win," she said. "We had a lot of friends to support us, which was very special."
The Dartmouth men also defeated the Bears on their home turf in Providence, as the Big Green triumphed 4-3 in another close match.
Dartmouth started off strong, taking the doubles point, but managed to win only one of the first four singles matches. Co-captain Curtis Roby '11 took his singles match to the third set before pulling out the win when his opponent retired from the match due to muscle cramps. As Chris Ho '12 and co-captain Stephen Grief '11 took the court for fifth and sixth singles, respectively, they both knew that the team's success was entirely dependent on their performance. Both players won their matches in only two sets, tallying four points for the Big Green.
After defeating Brown, the Dartmouth women traveled to Yale on Sunday, where they suffered their first League loss of the season, losing to the Bulldogs, 5-2. The Big Green got off to a rough start again, losing all three doubles matches and then failing to secure enough wins in singles rounds to take the match. Sarah Leonard '13 and Sabrina Stewart '14 were the only two players who managed to score points for Dartmouth in second and sixth singles, respectively.
Smyser described the team's mixed feelings about breaking its previously perfect conference record.
"We're obviously disappointed about having a loss, but we were happy with how we played," she said. "We really fought hard."
At home, the men's team also played a close match against Yale but succeeded in coming out on top, defeating the Bulldogs, 4-3. Dartmouth got off to an excellent start by taking the doubles point, and subsequently won three singles matches to gain a victory for the Big Green.
Although the team suffered its first conference loss against the Bulldogs on Sunday, the Dartmouth women are confident in their ability to shoot down Harvard University in their last match of the season.
"We're going to give Harvard a great match," Reichel said.
The men's team wraps up its season against the Crimson this Wednesday in Hanover, while the women end their season in Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday.
Roby expressed confidence in the men's team's ability to end the season on a strong note.
"I have a lot of confidence in our ability to beat Harvard on Wednesday," Roby said. "We have to go out there with the same level of energy and intensity."
