This past weekend, both the men’s and women’s tennis teams tasted their first milky gulp of competition and asserted dominance yet again by keeping it down. The women’s team first gagged on Saturday when they faced Kalamazoo College, and the men prolonged the heaving on Sunday against Walsh College. Both teams were ultimately able to settle their shaky inner organs and protect their currently unblemished records.

In actuality, the women’s win against Kalamazoo was smoother than flat Coca-Cola on an upset stomach. Senior captain Jessica Hauser attributed the victory to her team’s mental focus at practice and subsequent well-preparedness. “Our doubles have been outstanding so far this season,” she added. “I think we are a much stronger team for it.” Hauser won her number four single match 7-6, 6-4 and combined with senior Ary Amerikaner to win their number two doubles 8-1.

Hauser also applauded the team’s stunning first-year number one doubles phenomenon Kimiko Glynn, who caused fans to (like always) pull out their sunglasses with a decisive 6-1, 6-4 win on Saturday and an exciting 6-4, 5-7, 10-6 clincher on Sunday. “It was difficult for me to concentrate on my own match while hers was going on,” said Hauser.

Though Glynn’s victory was a bit lumpy, the overall mixture on Sunday was quite smooth as the women chomped down another 9-0 win against Walsh. The excited chatter of most tennis fans centered on the close but classy triumph of the other gender.

Early Sunday afternoon, members of the men’s tennis team felt pre-game jitters for the first time this season. The guys lined up against their foes as the acknowledged underdogs; Walsh is not a member of the NCAA and is thus able to recruit and give scholarships despite its place in Division III. Sure enough, those jitters began to creep up the arms and into the wrists of Oberlin’s paired athletes. After losing all three of its doubles matches, Oberlin knew it was in trouble.

The men turned up their grind. Since Walsh had taken the doubles point (obtained by winning two or more of the doubles matches), Oberlin needed four of the six pivotal singles matches to win. They sandblasted just that many: sophomore Aaron Parker won at the number six spot, junior David Cotter at the number four, first-year Chris Pray at three and senior Mark Knee at two. In the case of Knee, the victory was arduously satisfying. He won the first set 7-6, then lost 4-6 and completed with a 6-2 set.

“Mark Knee displayed outstanding mental toughness, bringing out his best tennis under pressure in his three set victory,” said Pray, who cemented his status as a breathtaking rookie by winning in two sets 6-3, 6-3. Pray described the season thus far as having been “pretty ideal” for him.

Oberlin will not host tennis again until April 5, when the women take on Wooster at 4:30 p.m. The men will also lock horns against Wooster on this date.