by Joe White

The Earlham College women’s tennis team won its fifth straight match on Tuesday but gave up its first loss on Wednesday, and another on Saturday. On Tuesday, the Quaker tennis team hosted Manchester College in the closest match of the spring season. They came out on top, however, winning 5 of their 9 contests. That victory put the Quakers at 5-0 in the season.An outstanding performance came from senior Liz Byrd, who said after the match, “My doubles partner Kate [Ünver] and I have fought hard at No. 1 doubles. There are a few matches that barely got away from us, but again, I think we can get those back at the tournament. I’ve had two good wins the last two matches, so my confidence is up right now.”

The Quakers looked to ride the confidence of their senior leader as they hosted conference foe Ohio Wesleyan the following afternoon.

Ohio Wesleyan traveled to Earlham’s Trueblood Fieldhouse to face off with the women’s tennis team on Wednesday. The Quakers, riding a five-match winning streak, would not be as fortunate. The Quakers were defeated 8-1 Wednesday. The tennis team has a good mix of rookie and veteran athletes, and the younger players really look to the seniors to carry the team. Freshman Rebecca Ogle has been dealing with mental issues on the court, but has relied on her teammates for positive support.

“I’ve been having a hard time with my mental game. I’m just glad that the rest of the team doesn’t share that problem…everyone stays level-headed,” she said. The Quakers looked to regroup mentally to travel to Springfield, Ohio for another conference match.

As the Quakers traveled to Tiger territory for what proved to be a tough match-up for the Quakers, the women’s tennis team still found positive aspects of its outcome. Byrd and Ünver were bright spots during the match, as they posted the two wins during their singles matches. Overall, Byrd is happy with the team and their success this season.

“We’ve lost two conference matches that were a lot closer than the score showed, but I think we can redeem ourselves at the tournament. We have ten solid players this year that we can count on to pick up the individual wins we need to finish a match,” she said.

The Earlham College Quakers (5-2) will look to the seniors for their confidence in the upcoming matches. The coaches and players, however, are content with the team’s performance.

“I’m pleased with our success so far, and I hope it continues,” said Ogle. The women’s tennis team’s next match will come today as the Quakers travel to Rose-Hulman to face the Engineers in a battle of the borders.