The Big Green men (3-0, 0-0 Ivy) played well in their first official matches of the season after a scrimmage earlier this month against Ivy rival Harvard University. The men first stepped on the court on Saturday to play a tough GWU side looking to notch a winning start to the tournament.
Dartmouth won two of the three doubles encounters the other being abandoned at 5-5 to earn the doubles point before winning three out of the top five singles matches to settle the tie, 4-2.
The match against Iowa later that day proved to be a much tougher affair. After losing the doubles point 2-1 against its opponents, the fate of the Big Green rested on clutch play down the stretch by No. 1 Mike Laser '12. Laser took the first set of his match, but quickly dropped the second set 6-0, Laser rebounded impressively to take the deciding third set 6-1 against Iowa's Will Vasos, settling the tie 4-3 in the Big Green's favor.
On Sunday, the men played their final game of the tournament against host team William and Mary, and the match proved to be a comfortable one for the team. After taking the doubles point 2-1, wins against the Tribe at the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 6 positions sealed the decision in Dartmouth's favor. The men will now play Stony Brook University in their home opener on Saturday hoping to continue their undefeated start to this tennis season.
While the men came off their road trip with three straight wins, the No. 57 Big Green women (0-3, 0-0 Ivy) could not overcome Arkansas and host Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. this weekend. Northwestern, ranked No. 12 in the country, played true to its ranking with high-quality tennis on Saturday. Dartmouth lost its doubles match in addition to dropping all six of its singles matches in straight sets, losing the match 7-0.
Sunday's match against No. 24 Arkansas also did not end well for the Big Green. Once again matched up against a strong team, the Big Green fought hard but lost the encounter 6-1. Dartmouth's bright spot on the day came from No. 1 seed Sarah Leonard '12. Leonard beat Arkansas' Stephanie Roy in straight sets to win the match 6-3, 7-5.
Co-captain Shelley Carpeni '12 said the team played well despite the loss.
"Two of the freshmen, Akiko Okuda ['15] and Janet Liu ['15], played really good games," she said. "It was impressive because they are so young and played so well against top teams."
Carpeni added that the team will train hard this week to prepare for next weekend's upcoming matches.
"We're going to go back to the court, work on our fitness and bring a higher level of concentration and overall level of play this coming weekend," she said.
The Dartmouth women will look to rebound this weekend as they play their first two home games on Saturday with a doubleheader against St. John's University and Stony Brook. The men will also host Stony Brook on Saturday in addition to taking on the United States Military Academy at West Point at home on Sunday.
