Balanced mix leads to fourth straight win for women’s team

Acacia O'Connor Sports Editor

What does it feel like to be a champion? Just ask one of the members of the Vassar women’s tennis team. Over October break, the tennis team became New York State Champions for the fourth year running. Earlier this month, the women also garnered the title of Liberty League Chgampions for the fourth straight year. Over the course of this season, the team has shown how hard work, dedication and team spirit can pay off both on and off the court.

A key component to the Brewer’s team efficacy is its balanced mix of experienced performers and contributing newcomers. The players are all ready and willing to fill whatever position is necessary for the success of the team.

With some sports, you can get away with having a few stand-outs that carry the team,” said Katy Robinette ’06. “That doesn't work in a tennis program…Even if we had two outstanding players, that would only guarantee us two wins. We need at least five matches to win a dual match.”

Coach Kathy Campbell named this enthusiasm and a strong sense of team spiritas one of the team’s greatest strengths.

“Our captains, Debbie Sharnak ’07 and Kelly Graham ’07, have provided great leadership on and off the court and have fostered the positive team spirit and work ethic very well,” said Campbell. “The rest of the team deserves credit, too, for their contributions to taking responsibility in building the team cohesion.”

The team has bonded over the course of the season. The role of team unity, said the Brewers, is obvious at tournaments where each win means adding points to the overall team score.
“Every member of our team, deep down, cares about the rest of the team doing well,” said Katy Robinette ’06. “Winning your match is great, but winning your match and feeling that win is contributing to the larger goal of a team win is really what turns a group of great tennis players into a great tennis team.”

The team has shown its strength throughout the fall season, beginning with remarkable, hard-fought 9-0 team victories against Union, Wesleyan and New York University. The team’s only loss during the eight-match season was to athletic powerhouse Williams College. During that match, Sharknak, who plays first singles, was injured and could not compete, causing some necessary adjustment to team roles.

The Brewers entered the NYSWCAA Championship, with all six singles players seeded either first or second. In the first day of competition, the Brewers went undefeated and advanced to the semifinal round, winning all singles matches in the first two sets and all three doubles matches as well.

On the second day of competition, Vassar advanced to the championship matches in all but two of the nine divisions. Sharnak fell to William Smith newcomer Chelsea Rauck, who went on to win first singles, while Kristin Romita ’09 was overcome by NYU’s Hayley McLaughlin, who later became fifth singles champion.

The Vassar squad walked away with four out of six singles titles and all three doubles titles. Kelly Graham became a champion for the second time in second doubles, and Kelly Barnett ’08, Robinette, and Elysa Kliman ’08 won third, fourth and sixth doubles, respectively.
Sharnak and Graham repeated as first double champions after going undefeated as a pair this season. Robinette and Romita bested the second doubles competition in a powerful pairing of veteran and youth. Last, but not least, Courtney Burks ’08 and Jamie Steele ’09 added a third doubles title to the mix.

Needless to say, the team blew away the competition. Each victory won points for Vassar’s finishing score of 64 points out of a possible 72.

The team is looking forward to their spring season, when they will continue to improve their play. They also hope to gain a bid in the NCAA tournament. If, as Campbell says, they keep working to elevate their game and keep striving to achieve, the team could make a run in the tournament.
“To be frank,” said Robinette, “the real reason we're so awesome is best summed up by our team motto: ‘Easy on the eyes, hard on the balls.’”