After facing a tough loss against Lehigh on Saturday, April 11, the women’s tennis team turned their luck around and pulled out a solid win against Patriot League rival Lafayette. The team hopes to keep up this positive momentum as they near the Patriot League tournament at the end of the season.

The Mountain Hawks captured a clean sweep against the Raiders, starting out with all three doubles matches to claim the first point of the match. They then proceeded to win all six singles matches and secured the win 7-0. 

Colgate came out strong against Lafayette the following day at the J.W. Abrahamson Tennis Courts. The women were ready for a strong win, and they delivered. The Raiders set the tone early on, winning all three doubles matches. Juniors Jennifer Ho and Katie Grant defeated Caroline Nixon and Catherine Senopoulos 8-6. Sophomores Kaelin Brittin and Hannah Fleckenstein found their rhythm and took down Rocine Moschella and Tori Almedia 8-5. Sophomore Kirstie Woodbury and freshman Kelly Klein beat the duo of Spellberg and Tory 8-2. 

Sophomore Lindsey Madnick commented on the team’s change of pace following the Lehigh match. 

“Against Lafayette I think I was a lot more consistent and felt the high energy from the team because we were all playing at the same time. Also, after winning the doubles point against Lafayette, I felt our team had a lot more momentum than we did against Lehigh,” Madnick said.  

The team had ideal weather conditions as they headed into singles play, in need of three more points for the overall win. Brittin,

Woodbury, and Madnick delivered these results for their team. Rocine Moschella defeated Grant 6-2, 6-2. All remaining matches were played to clinch, producing an end score of 4-1. 

According to Woodbury, when it comes time for a match, the team relies on feeding off of each other’s energy. “I think the main thing that helps the team succeed is the team atmosphere,” she said. “A cohesive team makes each of us want to play and win it for each other along with ourselves. We have to put in the work on the court, training, and as a team unit in order to come

together for matches to fight and win.”

Woodbury also felt that playing on home turf helped the players gain confidence. 

“Some of the advantages in the match against Lafayette are that we played at home and outdoors, which was our first time all year, so it was an exciting environment. We all were determined to win and we all stayed out on the court and didn’t give up,” she said.

Although the women’s tennis team is one of the smallest here at Colgate, Madnick believes that this can help create tight bonds and support networks between the players and coaches. 

“We have great coaches who work hard on and off the court and always have our backs,” she said. “I also think what helps the team succeed is how each teammate is very supportive of one another, and if one person is having a bad day the other seven girls are there for her. I think the atmosphere that we have contributes to success as well. Even though we have fun at practice, we also work very hard and practice as if we were in a match.”

This marked Colgate’s third home victory of the season. The Raiders improved to 6-11 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League. The players’ tough performance put an end to their six-match losing streak. 

Colgate will finish out their regular season on April 22 with a home match against SUNY Cortland at 4 p.m. at the J.W. Abrahamson Tennis Courts.