Women's tennis team goes fourth

Sophomore Kate Petersen knew she had a bad elbow. But she entered the NCAC tournament anyways, hoping to transcend her elbow woes. Unfortunately, her elbow was not cooperating.

After a few good rounds, Petersen's arm began to drag. She lost her final match in agony.

Like Petersen's elbow, the Yeowomen deteriorated throughout the tournament. After winning the first match, the team dropped the next two.

Oberlin finished the season with a third place finish in regular season play, compiling a 15-8 record. The Yeowomen were unable to maintain the ranking, slipping to fourth place in the NCAC tournament.

The Yeowomen defeated Allegheny College in the first round of the tournament, but the success was short-lived. Second seed Denison College swept past Oberlin, and Ohio Wesleyan University delivered the final blow. The Yeowomen were not disappointed because as first-year Tara Sievers said, "We played as well as we could."

The Yeowomen beat Allegheny College 6-3 on Friday by winning the top four singles and the top two doubles matches. The first doubles team of captain senior Helen Kang and vice-captain junior Bethany Pribila had to cope with the strategic ploy by their competitors of situating both players at the baseline, a strategy often used by weak competitors attempting to overcome the competition. Kang and Pribila still prevailed 8-6.

Entering the tournament, the team hoped for a victory over Denison. Denison had other plans. The Yeowomen were beat 6-1. The lone victory came from the first doubles team of Kang and Pribila. The duo had lost to Denison earlier in the season, but won 8-4 at the tournament. Head coach Don Hunsinger said, "It was a great effort."

In the final match of the regular season, Oberlin secured a third-place finish with a win over OWU. In the final match of their tournament, Oberlin faced OWU again. The difference between this match and the previous one was Petersen's elbow. Petersen and senior Julieta Del Rio lost the third doubles match to OWU, 8-5. Playing through pain, Petersen fell in singles, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.

Del Rio won her singles match in three sets 6-3, 0-6, 6-4. Sievers also won 6-4, 6-2. Kang lost a tough match at second singles. It was her first singles loss in 10 matches.

Sievers said, "The match against OWU could've gone either way."

As for the season, Hunsinger said, "I think there were seven women who gave a 100 percent every time they played, improved every time they played, were a marvelous team and should be very proud of themselves."