Despite Pressure, Women's Tennis Team Prevails with 5-4 Wins Over Washington, Hardin-Simmons, Gustavus Adolphus
By Betsy Mork
Contributing Writer

After frustrating losses early in the season to Redlands and Santa Cruz, the women's tennis team was determined to make a stand last week on the regional and national levels. Slated to play top teams from Texas, Missouri, and Minnesota, the Hens were ready for action and did not disappoint.

"Winning the matches back to back were crucial for us this weekend," explained Coach Anne Lebedeff. "Winning doubles has always been our strength but finding a way to win in singles in the third set was big. We've lost earlier in the season against Santa Cruz and Redlands when ahead after doubles so this was exciting."

The first match came last Wednesday, as the Sagehens took on Washington University, national qualifiers from last year. After hours of tough tennis, the match came down to number two singles player Whitney Henderson '04. With the crowd going wild, Henderson rolled over her opponent in the third set to win the 5-4 victory for Pomona-Pitzer.

Next on the competitive agenda was Friday afternoon's contest against Hardin-Simmons. A loss to the Cowgirls would have meant possible exclusion from the NCAA Regional at the end of the season, thus placing a significant amount of pressure on the Sagehens to seize a victory. In the doubles round, the Hens pulled out just one point, a nerve-wracking 9-8 win at second doubles. In the singles Kelli Howard '04 and Vicki Chen '04 got quick wins for the Hens. As the sun set, only three matches were left to finish under the lights: two, three, and five singles. An overall score of 3-4 meant that Pomona-Pitzer needed two more wins for the victory and a slot in post-season play. Henderson came off first, finishing her opponent after a long second set. Betsy Mork '04 and Kelsey Chance '05 both split sets as their teammates cheered them on. Mork was the next to finish, defeating her opponent 6-4 in the third and clinching the win. Chance put up an amazing fight, but the Wash U number five singles player won by a hair. Still, the Hens had their second 5-4 victory with only one match left to go.

The early Sunday morning sunlight found the team out on court once again, warming up for their match against Gustavus Adolphus College. Pomona-Pitzer was ready to avenge last year's loss to Gustavus, another national qualifying team. In doubles play, Howard-Henderson and Chance-Chen won points at one and three doubles to give the Hens a 2-1 lead going into the singles. Howard and Henderson won quickly to add two more points, but Gustavus' third, fourth, and sixth singles prevailed, tying the score at 4-4. It was up to chance . . . Kelsey Chance, that is. With the match on the line, both teams crowded around the fifth singles court to watch Chance battle in the third against Mikaela Schmidtt. With intelligent shot selection and indomitable energy, Chance rose to the top, defeating Schmidtt quickly in the final set and giving the Hens yet another 5-4 win.

"The weekend contests really tested the tenacity of the team and I thought they rebounded very well day after day," commented Lebedeff. "I was really proud of how they reacted. They really hung in there and was the biggest thing: 5-4 matches are extremely tough and to win three in a row against top twenty teams is huge."

Next weekend the Hens, currently 4-1 in SCIAC and 7-2 overall, face off against Emory, Amherst, and Franklin and Marshall in a series of matches that promise to be as exciting as the last three. If you're still in the neighborhood Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, swing by the tennis courts and cheer them on.