Women's tennis swings to victory
Team ends the fall season undefeated

Cameron Dexter| staff editor
cdexter@smcvt.edu

The St. Michael’s College women’s tennis team is undefeated, wrapping up the fall season at 5-0.

Coach Greg Cluff says this is not unexpected, and he says he's very proud of his team. He adds that he looks forward to the upcoming matches in the spring, particularly against Bentley College and Bryant University, the other top competitors in the conference, Cluff says.

Coach Greg Cluff gives some encouragement in between matches. Cameron Dexter, photo

The season is going really well and it’s fun to be a first-year on the team, first-year Marybeth Ash says.

First-year Marran Ranks says she’s enjoying the season as well. Ranks received the Northeast-10 (NE-10) Conference Freshman of the Week award on Oct. 9.

This season Cluff is focusing on team work, strategy, and demeanor, Ash says.

“He really wants us to be as aggressive as we can on the court,” Ranks says.

Be-forehand

Typically before a match, the women warm up together and then right before the match they warm up with their opponents.

“It’s weird,” Ranks says, “because you see how your opponent plays before the game starts.”

Pre-season is similar to this and consists of working on all aspects of the game, including how the team plays with and against each other, according to Ranks.

“We work on it all during pre-season and during practice; forehands, backhands, volleys in singles and we really work on our strategy in doubles,” Ranks says.

Doubles is difficult because you’re working with a partner, Ash says.

“You have to make sure you click and that you‘re on the same page the whole time,” she says. “But it also depends on your opponent.”

Right now the team is experimenting with mixing up its doubles partners. In practice, Cluff switches the girls around and is looking to see who plays well together, to see who makes the strongest combinations, Ranks says.

The difference between doubles and singles is largely about time spent playing at the net, Cluff says.

“If you watch a singles match, the girls are usually standing on the base line, hitting back and forth, waiting for the other to make a mistake,” Cluff says, “but in doubles it’s about getting to the net and winning those shorter shots.”

Backhand competition

Senior Captain Megan Conway goes for a shot. Cameron Dexter, photo

This season, the team regards Bryant and Bentley as its toughest competition.

Last season St. Michael’s College, Bryant and Bentley were the strongest in the league, Cluff says.

“We were all 11-1, meaning we tied for the championship," he says.

The final tournament occurs in the spring. Last year, St. Michael’s lost to Bryant in the semi-finals.

“We were really happy,” Cluff says. “That finish was the best finish in our team's history."

The team ended the fall season this year with a win against Bentley and is excited for the spring, senior captain Michelle Wood says.

The season was a good one according to Wood, and she says she’s especially impressed with the three first-years on the team.

“They really came though for St. Michael’s and our team during the game against Bentley, who is one of our biggest competitors,” Wood says.

One thing about Cluff is that he doesn’t emphasize winning, Wood says. He just wants his ladies to have a good time with the sport, she adds.

The team is close, Wood says, and bonded well in the beginning of the year.  

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules state that all tennis teams can no longer hold formal practices during the off-season, but Wood says that she and her teammates plan to do some individual hitting work.

“We will hit on our own and then start playing in the gym after Christmas break,” Wood says. She says the hard work is a must if the team is to make the playoffs for the ninth season in a row.

“We’re the only team to have done that consecutively in St. Michael’s history,” Wood says.