W.Tennis take down conference rivals

The Hopkins women’s tennis team had an eventful past weekend, as the players competed both Saturday and Sunday.

“While the rest of the school was enjoying spring fair, the women's team was busy squeezing two matches into one day," freshman Kara McDonough said. "On Saturday morning we had a big win over one of the better teams on our schedule, Mary Washington. The team then traveled to Washington College, whom we quickly swept with a score of 9-0."

The pair of wins helps to improve Hopkins’s seasonal records, as they now stand 12-2 overall and 6-0 in the Centennial Conference. The team is ranked sixth nationally and continues to climb in the ranks as they notch various victories.

The weekend began in Baltimore for the team, as they hosted competitor Mary Washington and took an early lead in play. At first, Shelby Harris and Lindsay Raulston were triumphant over Jays sophomore Elaine Baik and junior Hailey Hogan, however junior Abby Clark and sophomore Stephanie Rettig were triumphant 8-6 at second against Mackenzie Sish and Alina Suyama. At third, the Jays were victorious yet again, as freshman Sydney Lehman and freshman Olivia Kasten conquered Cassie Bowman and Chrissy Gaul, 8-3. Hopkins thus had a 2-1 lead from doubles when entering singles play.

Despite Hopkins’s early lead, Mary Washington gained their first — and only — singles point at first, when Eagle Raulston seized a win over Hogan, 6-1, 6-3. However Hopkins came back at second, when Baik beat Harris 5-7, 6-0 and 1-0 after extremely competitive play. Leham also earned points for the Jays, as she won 6-1, 6-2 over Bowman at third, as well as Rettig who beat Alex Ritter 6-1, 6-1. Closing singles play was Clark, who defeated Gaul at fifth and Shannon Libaw, who beat Paige Weinberg at sixth. Their individual scores were 6-2, 6-4 and 6-1, 6-0, respectively.

The girls understand the necessity to adjust and conquer, depending on the different obstacles they face during the match in order to succeed.

“Even if you are not playing your best tennis, you have to adjust to another plan and fight really hard to figure out a way to play better and come out with the win,” Baik said. "I think our team does a great job with this because with any given day, we can be stressed or tired, but when it comes to the match, everyone is always focused and fights hard to win."

The Jays continued this attitude in the latter half of their doubleheader, as they were successful in their efforts on Sunday. The Jays won their 66th straight Centennial Conference match against Washington College. Beginning with doubles play, the Jays took an early lead. Rettig and Kaitlin Pfisterer were triumphant over Campell McNicol and Marielle McIntyre 8-2 at first, followed by another win by pair Lauren Fields and Kasten, who won their second doubles 8-1 against April Weaver and Gyeyeon Kang. Kara McDonough and Libaw worked together to beat Kat Cohen and Amy Stevens at third, with a final score of 8-4.

The girls continued to hold the lead as they entered singles play, with all members of the team winning their respective singles matches. At first, Rettig showed no mercy, taking down Weaver 6-1, 6-1. Following, Libaw secured her win over McNicol 6-3, 6-1 at second. Pfisterer was successful yet again, winning her sets 6-3, 6-2 at third over Cohen. Play was a little more competitive at fourth, however Field came out on top, winning three sets against competitor Kang. Finishing out singles play and solidifying the win for the Jays were Kasten and McDonough, both winning at fifth and sixth, respectively. Kasten beat out McIntyre 6-4, 6-2 while McDonough only lost one game to Stevens, her score 6-1, 6-0, thus clinching the Hopkins win.

Despite the team's rigorous schedule and exhausting play, they keep a positive outlook.

“We have matches every weekend, and when we get double headers, which are two matches in one day, it is mentally and physically tiring especially when we have to travel," Baik said. "Every girl on the team works so hard, and especially with rigorous academics, it’s tough to juggle tennis and academics. But I personally think that’s what makes us outstanding student athletes because time management is so important and we have to stay on top of our busy schedules. On and off the court, the girls are focused and always strive to achieve success."

Baik also maintains a positive outlook on the rest of the season.

“As a group of champions, the team’s performance this weekend was excellent. Even if we win or lose, we always learn from each other. There are always things to improve on and our team works so hard to do better and better everyday. We enjoy the thrill of working hard and of course, it’s all about having fun too," Baik said. "Everyone’s compassion and motivation is contagious; it spreads throughout the whole team and everyone strives to achieve greater successes.”

The Hopkins tennis team will travel to Westminster, Maryland Wednesday, April 17 in a Centennial Conference match to face McDaniel.