Dartmouth came out more than ready to play, winning the doubles point as each Big Green pair defeated its Terrier opponents handily. The No. 1 team of co-captain Sarah Leonard '13 and Akiko Okuda '15 defeated Boston University freshman Sami Lieb and senior Monica Mical, 8-3. In the No. 2 match, Rachel Decker-Sadowski '14 and Janet Liu '15 beat Terrier junior Vivien Laszloffy and sophomore Amelia Martinez, 8-4, while the No. 3 tandem of Jeri Reichel '14 and Theresa Smith '15, the first doubles team off the court, quickly defeated sophomore Kendal Drake and junior Jessi Linero by a score of 8-2.
"It was really cool to win doubles," co-captain Shelly Carpeni'12 said. "We haven't swept a team like that in the doubles point for a while."
Smith said that the doubles sweep gave the Big Green momentum for the rest of the match.
"As a team, we have really focused on winning the doubles point and getting off to a strong start in matches," Smith said. "Winning all three doubles today against Boston University really helped us going into singles."
The Big Green continued to dominate in singles play. The No. 5 and 6 matches were both short, as Sabrina Stewart '14 defeated Drake and Decker-Sadowski beat Boston University freshman Sophie Wyman in their respective matches. In the No. 4 match, Smith won in straight sets against Martinez. Liu defeated Linero at No. 3 with a third set super-tiebreaker, and Okuda beat Mical, 6-2, 6-4. To top things off, Leonard beat Laszloffy in a third set super-tiebreaker in the No. 1 match.
Carpeni and Smith agreed that the team played well as a whole.
"Everyone did an amazing job in fighting for every single point, especially in matches that were close or where we were down," Smith said. "Even after the overall match was clinched, the players on the court really fought hard to win and give us a 7-0 victory."
Stewart, coming off a yearlong shoulder injury, felt confident in her performance this weekend and the steps she took in the winter to prepare for the spring season.
"The winter season was very beneficial for me," Stewart said. "I gained a lot of experience, and I was pleased to play against some tough teams from all over the country. I have learned a lot from this season and I've tried to incorporate what I learned into my next matches."
The match was Dartmouth's first since its 10-day spring break trip to California. The Big Green faced tough competition, losing to No. 38 Purdue University and No. 48 Long Beach State University. Dartmouth defeated California Polytechnic State University, 4-3, however, for the first time in team history.
Carpeni said she believes the spring break matches provided a good experience and that they prepared the team for this past weekend.
"We left for Southern California right after exams ended," said Carpeni. "After facing that type of competition, we have become more confident and intense in how we play."
Smith noted that there were certain things the team worked on in order to prepare for the Terriers this past weekend.
"This week, we really concentrated on having good energy and belief as a team, and I think that translated well in today's match," Smith said.
Stewart was also pleased with Saturday's result and is looking forward to the beginning of Ivy League play this weekend against Columbia University and Cornell University.
"We would like to win the Ivy League title, but our goal to reach that is to compete our hardest and play the way we have practiced for so long," Stewart said.
Dartmouth earned a share of the league title last season, finishing 6-1 in Ancient Eight play to split the championship with Yale University. The Big Green will be looking to win the title outright this season.
Carpeni wants to see the team show the same effort against Ivy foes that it did in this weekend's match, she said.
"We are going to go into these matches with the same mind frame and intensity that we had against Boston University," Carpeni said. "We lost to Columbia in February and that left a little scar, so it would be great to get a win this time."
Smith added that she hopes the team's recent hard work will be reflected in this weekend's results.
"Obviously our main goal is to win the Ivies, but looking ahead to next weekend, we are hoping to have strong performances against Columbia and Cornell that reflects our hard work in practice," Smith said. "We would really like to start off the Ivy season by sending a strong message that we are here to win."
Dartmouth faces Columbia at 3 p.m. on Friday before taking on Cornell on Saturday at 12 p.m. Both matches will be played at the Boss Tennis Center.
