By Dominic Rapposelli
Elm Staff Writer
Washington College women’s tennis is off to the Centennial Conference playoffs after winning their senior day contest, and home finale, against the Gettysburg Bullets on April 22. The team swept the doubles match ups en route to a 7-2 victory. Senior Bin Nguyn clinched the match up for the Shorewomen.
Some players said that they feel that the team’s performance is peaking at the perfect time. “At this point in the season, we are playing the best tennis that we have played all year.” Junior Piper Sartison said.
According to Sartison, the April 19 match up against Haverford College was her best yet. Sartison rallied after falling in the first set 6-2, outperforming her opponent in the second and third sets to secure the lone singles win in their loss to Haverford.
Although it took the team a few games to get into a rhythm, freshman Eva Kading said that part of the season is behind the Shorewomen entering the playoffs. “I think we are going to bring the results and wins,” Kading said.
The Shorewomen secured the fifth seed out of six teams who will compete in the playoffs. They will travel to Lancaster, Pa. on Wednesday, April 26, in order to face the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats, who are seeded fourth.
The Diplomats vanquished the Shorewomen earlier this season in an 8-1 WC loss in which the team could not secure a victory in the singles match ups.
While unlikely that the Shorewomen will host another contest this season barring a rematch with the Bullets in the finals, the Shorewomen do boast a winning record of 4-3 in road contests.
The Shoremen, meanwhile, secured their place in the Conference playoffs with an 8-1 victory over the Bullets on April 22. The Shoremen are seeded third of five teams.
Senior Christian Gruyon said that the task at hand for the Shoremen is not completed. The team still has work to do entering the playoffs, according to Gruyon. The playoffs kick off with a road match up on April 27 against the nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays.
“We put ourselves in difficult situations in practice to tackle adversity,” Gruyon said, “against other schools, this kind of pressure becomes second nature.”
Gruyon, who celebrated his senior day before the Gettysburg victory, said his time at WC was a life-changing experience.
“This team has become something special in my time here,” Gruyon said.
Gruyon’s time is not up yet, as the Shoremen prepare to take on the very Blue Jays who handed the Shoremen one of their only two Conference losses.
The only other Conference loss came at the hands of Swarthmore College, who are ranked second between John’s Hopkins and WC.
Thursday’s match up also boasts the only two teams to have ever lifted the Conference Tennis Championship, as WC won the first eleven Conference titles and twelve of the first thirteen. Johns Hopkins took over as the dominant force in the Conference starting in 2007, and have won every year since. The Shoremen look forward to challenging that streak, beginning Thursday.