Volume CXXXIII, Number 5 October 12, 2001 f

Mixed results for men's and women's tennis
ANN SMITH
STAFF WRITER

The men's tennis team is off to a great start this fall. The Bears managed to rack up numerous wins over eight other competing colleges at the Middlebury Invitational this past weekend. The Bears grabbed four of six possible flights (four singles and two doubles), and Patrick Keneally '05 and Nick McLean '03 managed finalist positions.

Sophomore John Carolan in practice this week. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient)

Patrick Soong '03 said that, while this was only the first team competition for the men, it was an early indication of a great season. "It's been great so far," he said. "We've come together pretty well as a team."

Although the roster contains many younger players, the team is showing great promise for the 2001-2002 season. Junior captains Colin Joyner and August Felker have much to work with, especially with first-year standouts Mac Burke and Keneally.

"The underclassmen are surprising," Soong said. "They're tough, focused, and they hit the hell out of the ball."

The men are looking to improve on last year's season, when they defeated Amherst, but fell to Williams in the Round of 16. Their new goal has been set: to make the final eight and to win the national championship.

"We had a couple of tough loses last year and are ready to turn those into wins this season," said John Carolan '04. "This team has a chance to do something real damage once it is running on all cylinders."

According to the team, top rivals Williams, Trinity, and Amherst are some of the squadss they're looking forward to competing against this year.

While the men are off to a great start, the women's tennis team has also begun its season of domination, earning convincing wins over Wesleyan and Middlebury last month. Later in the season, three Bears reached the ITA Championship's Round of 16, and one went on to the semifinal round. Recently, the women were shut out 9-0 by Amherst.

Playing against Wesleyan, the Bears took all three doubles matches from the Cardinals. Tara Sheehan '05, Sanida Kikic '04, and Betsy Hayes '04 won their singles matches, and the Bears finished with a 6-3 win.

The results were very similar when they faced Middlebury at home on September 22. Sophomore Paulette Hricko, Sheehan, Hayes, and Kikic won their singles matches, and the doubles teams of Hricko/Kikic and Hayes/Lauren Gray '05 were also victorious. The match concluded with Bowdoin the 6-3 victor once again.

Number one singles player Alexis Bawden '04 reached the semifinals of the ITA Championships, held at Williams on September 28, and both Hayes and Hricko reached the Round of 16.

The women's tennis team is looking to improve upon last year's record. At the end of their season, the women held ninth place in the East and 20th in national standings, missing a bid to nationals by one slot. "Our biggest goal this year is to play up to our potential, both as individuals, and as a team," said Hayes. "We have a lot of talent; we just need to show it."

Although the team is relatively young, with a starting lineup containing four sophomores, two freshman, and one senior, the Bears are still looking to dominate the rest of their season.

The women will host Bates next Tuesday, and travel to the NEWIT tournament, hosted by Amherst, on October 19. They face off against Brandeis tomorrow at noon.