The tennis teams resisted the crunch of defeat as their 2005 season sprinted towards its conclusion. It was a passionate seven days; the men laced up three times in a row last weekend and then again on Tuesday, going two and two. The women had a similar .500-week with Saturday and Tuesday action.

Both teams faced their toughest competition of the season. In the end, the slime of the garbage chute was not slippery enough to thwart the Yeomen and women’s resistance. They rolled up their sleeves to expose bulging muscles that guided the explosion of their rackets on the court in well-fought, jaw dropping brilliance.

On the 14th, the men lost decisively to Kenyon 6-1. Five days later, they lost to Denison by the same margin.

Both teams are considered powerhouses in the region, although first-year Colin Burling pointed out that it would have been nice to beat Denison. Considered the lesser of two evils in terms of conference dominance, Burling speculated that beating the Big Red was still a possibility: “We’ll just have to do it this weekend at the conference tournament (if given the chance) or next year.”

In an interesting twist worth investigating to reassure team loyalties, the Oberlin’s Burling happens to be the son of Denison coach Peter Burling. “It was pretty awkward going up against my dad, but I had to shut him out,” he said. “When you’re on the court, everyone across the net becomes your enemy.”

In both matches, the Oberlin ray penetrating the cloud proved to be the dependable first-year Chris Pray. Pray edged his number three singles opponent 6-2, 3-6, 12-10 against Kenyon, and then slam-danced his way to a 6-2, 6-2 win against Denison. “It was nice to get a win for the team,” he said. Pray’s mental state going into this weekend could be characterized as relaxed. “It should be fun...and hopefully we will close out the season playing well.”

Oberlin also won against Baldwin Wallace and Allegheny over the weekend, both with a score of 4-3. Seniors Nick Ogren and Mark Knee led the team both times, winning 8-4 against Baldwin Wallace and 8-6 against Allegheny. They also took the number one and two singles victories versus the Allegheny Gators.

The Yeowomen finished out their 15-3 regular season with a win against Allegheny College on April 16 and a tough 7-2 loss to Denison on the 19. The highlight in Saturday’s sweep was first-year Kimiko Glynn and sophomore Bianca Barr’s 8-0 number one doubles victory. Although the score on Tuesday was not as complementary, senior Ary Amerikaner was pleased with her team’s performance. Denison is ranked second in the region and eighth in the nation. “It was closer than the score showed,” Amerikaner said/ The highlight of the match for Amerikaner was her number two doubles victory with Jessica Hauser, another senior, as it was their final home doubles match as seniors. The pair won 8-5.

Glynn solidified her place as a conference threat with a fantastic 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 win over Denison’s Amelia Crace. “I was really nervous,” she said. “She [Crace] is a great player. It could’ve gone either way.”

Oberlin coach Don Hunsinger said that they are waiting until after this weekend’s NCAC tournament to find out if Glynn qualified to play in this year’s national tournament. Either way, her season was dominating; the first-year won all 16 matches she competed in at the number one singles position. Glynn is also a voice major in the Conservatory, which she attributes to her success on the court. “Having performed on stage helps me control my nerves during tennis matches,” she said.

As for both teams’ expectations for this coming weekend at Denison, Hunsinger’s thoughts mirrored those of the composed and madly successful players he coaches. “We are looking forward to a great finish to a wonderful season.”

After the Denison match the men’s team drops to 12-6 and 4-3 in the NCAC, while the women hold a record of 15-3 with a 5-2 NCAC record.