W. Tennis takes home second conference title

By: Katie Moody

Posted: 5/1/08

The Johns Hopkins women's tennis team captured their second straight Centennial Conference Championship when they defeated Swarthmore 5-3 in a rematch of the 2007 championship on Sunday, April 27. This win improves the Blue Jays' overall record to 15-3 on the season, while Swarthmore fell to 12-6. With the win at the Conference Championship, the Lady Jays have earned the automatic qualifier spot to the NCAA Tournament.

Hopkins took first point in the doubles match when the team of sophomore Ellen Berlinghof and freshman Yasmine Elamir took the court and beat Jamie Midvette and Alexis Hickman 8-3 at third. Swarthmore responded at second by tying the match 1-1 when Erica Kukoski and Luanna Cinavitch beat sophomore Amanda Schubert and freshman Abby Dwyer 8-6. Sophomore Anita Bhamidipati and junior Brittany Matava shoved the Jays back in front 2-1 when they defeated Rachel Wallwork and Jennie Park 8-5 at first. Mataya's win was her 44th career doubles win, and she broke Tanya Gulnik's record.

Heading into the singles, Hopkins had to make sure they didn't lose any ground; every game would be vital to the victory. Elamir defeated Midyette in her 17th straight victory, winning 6-0, 6-1 at third, making the lead 3-1 in Hopkins's favor. The Garnet's Park then beat Mataya 7-5, 6-4 at second, bringing the Hopkins lead down to only one, making it 3-2. Dwyer aced the competition when she beat her opponent 6-1, 6-4 at fourth, taking the Hopkins lead back up to two, but then Wallwork made it a one-point match with a three-set win at first over Bhamidipati. The pressure was on Schubert to seal the victory for Hopkins at fifth singles. Schubert soundly sealed the win for Hopkins when she beat Cignavitch 6-4, 6-0.

Because of their performances against Swarthmore, both Matava and Bhamidipati were named First Team All-Centennial Conference in both singles and doubles on Tuesday, April 29. Both ladies are 2007 All-Americans, and as a doubles team, they are 13-4 overall and undefeated in the Centennial Conference.

By clinching the divisional bid to nationals, the Lady Jays will take on the Cabrini College Cavaliers (14-3) in the first round when they head to Mary Washington College this weekend. The Cavaliers will put up a great fight for the Jays, having won the last four straight PAC titles, and Hopkins will certainly be taking their best game to Fredericksburg, Va. The match is set for 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 2, and the winner will then face The College of New Jersey (12-6) at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. On the other side of the tournament, Methodist (20-3) will take on Elizabethtown (13-3) in the first round, and the winners of that will host Mary Washington (20-3) on Saturday.

Looking ahead to the weekend, the Lady Jays have some great statistics to pump themselves up for this year's play-offs. In 2007, Hopkins made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament, and they beat Moravian in the first round. Unfortunately, they fell to Mary Washington in the second, and the ladies are ready for a rematch. On the coaching side, this is the Jays' fourth consecutive season in which they have won 10 or more games under head coach Chuck Willenborg, who has the most wins in program history. He has led his squads to an amazing 58-15 record in only four seasons, and hopes to add a national title to that impressive statistic this weekend.