So I couldn't figure out how to post pictures again...really. I'm amazed by my earlier technological prowess that somehow enabled me to accomplish this epic feat, for after selecting some excellent pictures to share with all of you earlier this week, I was left staring dumbfounded at the computer screen that refused to let me copy and paste. Grieved, I was forced to turn back to my usual haunts of facebook and textsfromlastnight to procrastinate from my paper - both of which are much less productive and much less effective in getting my mother, Jackie, and the Gumports off my back about blogging. Too bad, guess its further proof that I'm not a "true blogger". So sad...

            Since earning our spot to Georgia with a win over Tufts in last Sunday's gusting winds, AWT has been focused on two things: school and tennis. With final exams and papers looming and practices becoming more scarce and valuable we've had little time to relax; our social lives, and sometimes even our hygiene, has had to give. All that's in the past though, and 3 a.m. science library sessions, gallons of coffee, and constant stress are hardly interesting or something I'm looking to relive. Besides, Georgia's been on our minds for a while, and now we're finally here, so I'll focus on that.

            With the exception of Laura's epic failure in getting through airport security (freshman.), our flight and travel to our hotel in Lawrenceville were blessedly uneventful. We arrived just in time for a quick dinner, then had time to relax, unpack, and begin catching up on the sleep we'd lost during the aforementioned finals period. That next morning, after a lovely breakfast of fresh-made omelettes, sliced melon, and warm biscuits (thanks NCAA! I <3 you.), we packed up our massive tennis bags and headed over to the tournament site, Collins Hill Athletic Club.  Since we didn't have the courts until 1 pm, we decided may as well eat again. After a failed attempt to find the Applebees in town, we were left with the wonderful opportunity to dine at the Subway located in the super-Wal-Mart. Sadly the rest of the team did not share the same enthusiasm as Jill and I did for this unique culinary experience, but I think by the end of the meal we all had gained a newfound appreciation for sandwiches served mere feet from an in-store hair salon, pharmacy, and the best deals in town.

            Practice at the facility provided us all with a good opportunity to shake off some lingering nerves and fine-tune a few of Jackie's favorite doubles tactics. (Obviously such tactics are not information I will divulge on the Internet.) After this, our final practice of the season, it was time to go back to the hotel to rest before the opening banquet. Apparently, 'banquet' has many different dress code interpretations across the country, as we immediately noticed while comparing our flip-flops to other girls' high heels. However, our fear that we'd really missed the memo to the shame of the Amherst as a whole was assuaged when Jackie made her grand entrance in a skirt - a novel sight for us all. (Never fear, she was also wearing converses.) Continuing on our casual, laid-back theme, AWT continued by helping Brittany prepare much of her team introduction speech at the table in the middle of the banquet. Although she decided against using the 'Dove Promises' wrappers or any of Jackie's beloved sayings for inspiration, everyone in the room now knows our entire teams' astrological signs...including Jon's after some on-the-spot questioning.

            Ok, well, time is of the essence and its time for me to pack my bags for today's match against Gustavus Adolphus. Though I may try to post an 'insider's' play by play, so far my record of posting when I promise to is pretty poor. Can't keep Big Bad Jon aka the bronzed body builder waiting any longer, got to go DO WORK on the tennis courts. Until who knows when...

Mimi

"Be prepared to suffer out there, mentally, physically and emotionally."

Over the past few weeks that has become (thanks to Jacqueline Bagwell) the AWT pre-match mantra and thus far I have to admit this somewhat battle-imagery-invoking credo has proved successful. Since I last posted (I don't even want to think about how long it's been) we've defeated Williams and Middlebury on their courts and celebrated our last home match of the season with a 9-0 victory over Hamilton - a great way to honor our amazing seniors on their 'senior day'.  Though we are all appropriately happy with these successes, and the fact that we were undefeated in the spring, that means nothing now; NESCACs and NCAAs have remained our focus all season long, and now its time to make our efforts apparent.

Yesterday we played a tough Tufts team (haha, that gets me every time) but pulled out a solid 5-2 win.  Getting a 2-1 lead in the doubles proved pivotal as we went out to start singles. As has been the case all season long, Laken finished first with a win at number five and rejoined other members of the team to cheer from the benches.  Playing next to her all season has certainly been beneficial to me, as her nonchalant yet focused style of play motivates me to buckle down and "do work" without being distracted by my own emotions.  I was the next match to come off the court with a 6-3, 6-2 victory, and then I too rejoined the rest of AWT on the stands to cheer and hold out for one more victory to claim the match. Brittany had lost a tough match at number one, Jill and Carlissa had each split and were in the beginning of their second sets, and Natasha had just pulled out the first set in a tiebreaker and was up a break in the beginning of the second set. After another half hour or so Natasha won the consistency-battle at number four and, as matches in NESCACs are only played to decision, the rest of the team gathered on court to congratulate one another and let Jackie have the spotlight to convey her feelings on the match and what we'll need to do better against Williams in the finals the following day.

Following team dinner, the team came back to the motel and, being the model scholar-athletes we are, had a study party in the motel living room. Although between youtube videos, textsfromlastnight.com, videochatting the Brown family, and Amherst College gossip I'm not quite sure exactly how much work got accomplished, but I guess it's the thought that counts anyway.  Besides, what we did spend the majority of time talking about was, admittedly a matter of utmost importance to our own health and safety...SWINE FLU. In case you haven't heard, there's officially been a swine flu outbreak on the Amherst campus, prompting cancellation of parties and dinners, quarantines of infected or possibly-infected students, and flyers and hand sanitizers around every corner. Which, on a side note, reminds me: everyone buy stock in purell now; the Amherst administration and student body may singlehandedly ensure a huge profit this quarter.

So how does this affect us? Well, not that much.  After a few team members were checked before leaving on Friday night and determined healthy, we were on our way as planned without worry of transmitting the pandemic to other NESCAC institutions. However, yesterday while watching the men's team defeat Williams we discovered one noticeable change that had been made due to the outbreak: no handshakes. That's right, the Amherst tennis teams are not permitted to shake hands with their opponents all weekend long...so many jokes could easily be made at this point that I'm going to leave it up to your creativity to think of them and not type anything possibly inappropriate or offensive myself. However, our team song is now a toss-up between "Contagious" and "Can't Touch This".

Once I am out of Williamstown and again have reliable wireless Internet access I will hopefully be posting another entry entirely consisting of pictures taken throughout the season. But please don't hold me to that, because I'm running out of excuses for my tardy postings.  This post's excuse (courtesy of Jim Bell): I simply didn't want to give any other teams any locker room material before NESCACs. Thanks, dad. 

Since last posting, AWT has played three more matches and enjoyed three more victories; in case you've lost track, I'll put our schedule back into perspective: six matches in six days over spring break, followed by fourteen match-free days, followed by five matches in eight days through this Saturday. What a schedule.

Anyways, back to what's been happening recently. After hardly 48-hours of rest, we started back up into matches against fellow NESCAC team Tufts. We all knew this would be a hard match, especially considering we were still without our number one player and due to threatening weather conditions we'd be playing the Jumbos indoors on an unfamiliar surface. For this latter reason we arrived even earlier than usual to warm-up so that we'd have ample time to get used to each of the four indoor courts in the athletic complex. After warming up all our strokes, playing doubles points, and running drills with Jackie on all of the four courts (a process which took over an hour) it was time to actually begin playing the match. At number one doubles, where Carlissa again filled in to partner with Natasha, the experienced Tufts' tandem showed the value of knowing your partner's game as they finished on top 8-2 despite great play by Natasha and Carlissa. At number three Jill and Laura proved overpowering and intimidating forces as they poached and slammed their way to an 8-2 victory in Amherst's favor. Again Anuja and I were the last match on the court and, despite some evident nerves and fluster on my part as Amherst and Tufts players cheered from both sides of our court, we held on for an 8-5 win and secured the Amherst lead as we headed into singles. 

Because the facility only had four courts, Laura and I waited waiting on the sidelines cheering before beginning our own matches on the first two open courts.   Laken, as usual, jumped out to an early lead at number four, but the rest of the team was having difficulty adjusting their style of play to the fast courts and heavy balls hit by Tufts opponents. During the end of the first set Carlissa's knee started bothering her and pulled out as a precautionary measure one game into the second set. With the match tied at 2-2 and Amherst players down a set at positions two and three, I knew my point was pivotal to an Amherst victory and mentally prepared myself to "get down to business" from the first point. I won relatively quickly 6-1, 6-1, but almost as soon as I got off the court Natasha and Jill lost their respective matches and the total match score was, once again, tied at four and down to freshman Laura Danzig. After a slow start in the first set (which she still managed to pull out 7-5), Laura found her rhythm and quickly sealed the second set and Amherst victory.  We drove back to campus that night belting out old-school Backstreet Boys and S Club 7 hits of youth, relieved that we'd pulled out the victory without our strongest line up and trying not to think about all the homework awaiting us when we returned to Amherst around 10pm.

Wednesday we enjoyed a much-needed day off for our bodies and schoolwork to recover, and on Thursday we had a light hit and doubles drill session to prepare for our match against Connecticut College the next day. The rain thankfully held off Friday afternoon, but the intermittent strong gusts of wind and cold temperatures made tennis a little difficult and less enjoyable for our Californians; though they insisted that "this just isn't tennis weather", I remembered playing sectionals in the snow during my senior year of high school and thanked my lucky stars I was a born and raised, thick-skinned Ohioan.  It didn't take too long for us to roll to a 9-0 victory, and many of us took advantage of some uneven matches to practice and groove strokes for the next day's big match against Wellesley.

The weekend's forecasted rain finally arrived that evening and continued on through the morning, forcing us inside to play the match late in the afternoon. We enjoyed having a free Saturday morning to sleep in late and hang out with friends before heading over to Mount Holyoke to warm up around 3:30. Jackie told us before warming up how much Wellesley was "gunning" for us; they'd had strong results against tough opponents in the fall and have always been regarded as great competitors. Our motto for the day, courtesy of Natasha, became "do work". Wellesley's doubles proved to again be very strong, and it certainly took a great deal of work and focus for Anuja and myself to finally put away our match 8-6. Laura and Jill had again made fast work of their opponents at number three, but at number one Brittany and Natasha struggled and lost against a very cohesive and crafty pair from Wellesley. Heading into singles up 2-1 proved to be a vital confidence boost as it allowed the entire team to play relaxed and loose as we rolled on to sweep the singles and secure the 8-1 victory.

Having assured ourselves that we could, mentally and physically, handle so much competitive tennis in a brief period of time will inevitably prove valuable in the near future...the very near future...

Part two of this post is coming soon (I promise...?)

Mimi

"For all I know, you guys might still be stranded in California!" Amherst Tennis Alum Laura Stein exclaimed while inquiring about my next extraordinarily overdue blog entry.  Although I briefly considered concocting a harrowing story about a travel mix-up that rendered the entire team (except Jon) ticketless, forcing us to embark upon a two-week long cross-country, hitchhiking nightmare during which time we subsisted on nothing but mini-muffins and diet coke while wearing white princess tennis dresses, I responded simply "Oh...yeah...mah b." So eloquent. Anyways, it seems the only method of remedying my masterful procrastination is to once again write an exceedingly long entry, starting with a recap of the end of our spring break trip. Spoiler alert: we made it back.

Our final three matches of the trip were NAIA Azusa Pacific University, Division III Redlands University, and Division I Cal State Fullerton. The day we played Azusa was easily the hottest day of the trip and shade was scarce on and around the courts. Thankfully the air wasn't the only thing hot on the courts that day, as all of AWT, plus Jackie and Mr. Brown, noticed while we warmed up for the match. Notice to the Azusa men's team from all of AWT: we are your number one fans, and please never invest in shirts. As the match got under way (and the tanned, toned, California men of Azusa left) we regained our focus to buckle down for some of the most competitive doubles we would play on the trip. We finished the doubles round down 1-2, with only Jill Wexler and Laura Danzig pulling out a point at the number two slot. As singles went back out to their courts we knew we had an uphill battle ahead of us; not only did we need to win four out of the six matches to achieve victory, but we were playing without Carlissa King, our usual number two singles player, who was suffering from a heat-induced illness. In a lengthy battle, twin sister Laken King secured the Amherst victory by outlasting her opponent in a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 marathon battle. Also instrumental to our win that day were Brittany Berckes, Natasha Brown, and Laura Danzig. 

At Redlands the next day it was déjà vu: doubles was over and we were already down 1-2. This time Natasha and Brittany had earned our sole point, and all of us knew as we went out to start singles that we would again have to push our straining, aching bodies to their full capacity in order to beat Redland's scrappy, consistent, and competitive team. These girls really did have all the shots: high loopy spins, slices on both sides, strong first serves, and punishing approach shots. Though we pulled out the win in convincing fashion by sweeping the singles round, each match required the totality of our physical and mental energies as we knew that if we weren't fully focused on our court, the match could slip through our fingers. Especially impressing were our top four singles players, Brittany Berckes, Carlissa King, Jill Wexler, and Natasha Brown, who each pulled out long three-set victories during their fifth consecutive day of competition. 

When we arrived at Cal State Fullerton on Friday, you could feel the team taking a collective sigh of relief with the knowledge that after today's match we'd finally have a blessed two days off from tennis. Far from making us complacent, this drove many of us harder as we hoped to end the trip on a high point by convincingly defeating another division-one opponent. As Anuja and I reminded one another during our doubles match, we wanted this, and we were going to leave it all out on the courts of Cal State. AWT did just that, picking up the doubles point (we were playing division one scoring in which doubles counts as one collective point, rather than three separate points) with victories at numbers two and three and dropping the back and forth battle at number one in a competitive tiebreaker. In singles we remained dominant, winning all but the top court en route to a 6-1 victory to cap off our California trip. As expected, we were all happy with our victorious results throughout the week and relieved that our bodies had managed to physically endure the taxing schedule, but the work we had left to do was apparent. Jackie reminded us in our final team huddle of the trip that "we did what we came to do" and as happy as she was about our undefeated trip, she and the team rankings had both expected nothing less from us. Nearly every team we play throughout the season will, as these teams, play us hoping for an upset and knowing that they have nothing to lose. The proverbial target on our backs may not be quite as big as in recent years,  but whether we're ranked #1 or #6 in the polls, every match presents an opportunity to further establish ourselves as a team worthy of our ranking and of others' respect. 

So it was with this mentality that we returned to cold and rainy Amherst, Massachusetts. Whether forced back into the cage, dodging raindrops outside, or enjoying the occasional sunny New England spring day, our points of focus have been clear: serving with purpose and doing our jobs in doubles. Nearly every practice has consisted of ample match play and various drills designed to improve our doubles skills: keeping the ball crosscourt, getting first serves in, poaching and faking as server's partner, lobbing (both topspin and slice), terminating high volleys, and keeping the ball at the other player's feet when at net. For two solid weeks our focus remained almost solely on doubles, developing strategies that, if mastered correctly, should prove beneficial to our singles play as well. Emotions inevitably ran high during many practices as our California tans quickly faded and the added pressures of schoolwork and social lives returned to our lives.

Matches thankfully recommenced this weekend with a pair of NESCAC matches against Bates on Saturday and Bowdoin on Sunday (aka today).  Playing without our number one player, Brittany Berckes (who was taking a precautionary weak off to prevent some soreness from becoming an injury), posed little problem for us on Saturday. Carlissa joined Natasha at number one doubles, while the entire team moved up a spot in the singles line-up with Laura Danzig filling in at the number six spot. Against Bates no one gave up more than a combined five games as we rolled to a 9-0 win, able to preserve much needed energy for the following day against Bowdoin. 

More than a simple NESCAC match, today's match against Bowdoin offered AWT a chance for revenge - last year it was this competitive and fit squad that upset us in the third round of the NCAAs. Though I wasn't even in the lineup last year, and was thus confined to the sidelines watching the upset take place, I marked this year's match on my calender as soon as the spring schedule was released, knowing that it was a chance to show that this year's team isn't just talented, we're also a team craving success and are willing to work and grind to get it.  For days prior I ate the best I could, did my work in advance, envisioned myself playing Bowdoin while in practice, and even slept more than eight hours a night - a rare feat for any college student, especially myself. By the time we started our team warm up this morning I knew I'd done everything I could to prepare and, more importantly, that there was no way any Bowdoin player wanted this victory more than I did; the images from last year's upset in NCAAs, as seen from literally every angle of the Mount Holyoke tennis complex, have remained so strong in my memory and have provided such a motivational force throughout the entire year that I couldn't let this opportunity slip by. Everyone dealt with their desire for revenge in a different way, most less compulsive than my own, but the seriousness and heightened gravity of the match at hand was apparent in our demeanors at breakfast, in warm up, and as the doubles got under way. 

Anuja and I rolled to a convincing 8-1 victory at the third position, but at first and second doubles the team encountered more problems. Every year Bowdoin has strong doubles teams that get the ball back consistently, play several different formations, and know how to utilize the full extent of the court; playing opposite this and in extraordinarily windy conditions we faltered and dropped each of these matches, and thus once again were forced to start the singles in the familiar position, down 1-2. Rather than dwell on these undesirable results, Jackie made the wise choice of discussing doubles once the entire match was decided and simply told us to focus, play with the wind, and get the job done in singles as she knew we could. Natasha, Laken, and myself won quickly at the three, four and five positions respectively, but by the time we were off the court each of the remaining three Amherst players, Carlissa, Jill, and Laura, had dropped the first set and knew that just one of them had to win in order to secure the Amherst victory. In the end it was our lone freshman starter Laura Danzig who pulled out a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win and got the job done for the team; when she began playing calmly, patiently, and setting-up points naturally she was downright to play against. Although we were relieved to have pulled out a 5-4 victory against a feisty and competitive team, knowing how much better we could have played - particularly in the doubles - made for a somber and serious post-victory mood among the team. Hopefully today's results will serve as a general wake up call that we can't be content simply relying upon our talent to win doubles matches; as Jackie emphasized, we need to realize how little we know about doubles, focus on our drills in practice, make the necessary adjustments in position, and execute our jobs fully.  As matches become more plentiful in the coming weeks, practices consequentially become fewer and more crucial in fixing the manifested errors and preparing ourselves for the opponents down the road. To put it even more bluntly, in tomorrow's practice we need to get it together. 

My concluding proposition: in order to atone for my aforementioned procrastination and untimely postings, I will attempt this week to post at least two more times: once following our match at Tufts on Tuesday and again after our weekend matches at home against Connecticut College and Wellesley. With that achieved, hopefully all who actually read this blog can remain up-to-date on the life and happenings among the Amherst Women's Tennis team, and Alex Gumport can have a more tasteful outlet for his boredom (at least in comparison to the confessional or fmylife.com) when the 48 hour rule leaves him with nothing better to do. 

Today marks the halfway point of our trip to California, so I'll catch you up on how the team has been doing on and off the court. On Saturday, our first full day in Claremont, we practiced for about an hour and a half in the morning, took a short break from the midday sun at our favorite sandwich place in town (Full of Life comes highly recommended by AWT in case you're ever in the Claremont area) and then had a doubles scrimmage against Columbia University's team. It was a great opportunity for both teams to readjust their doubles play and strategy to the wind, sun, and heat in some friendly, low-pressure matches. Our first doubles tandem of Brittany Berckes and Natasha Brown won 8-6, Jill Wexler and Laura Danzig came out ahead in a streaky, back and forth 9-7 proset at the number two position, Anuja Ankola and myself dropped a hotly contested 8-6 proset at number three, and our "double-the-fun" dynamic duo of Carlissa and Laken King defeated their opponents 8-1 in trademark speed. Though both teams thought it better to conserve energy for the long week ahead by opting out of singles, our scrimmage-success gave AWT valuable confidence against Division 1 opponents before taking on fellow Ivy League team Cornell the following day.

We were lucky enough to play our season opening match against Cornell University at the beautiful and historic Jack Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates, California. In addition to our coaches and Californian family members we were excited to have several high school tennis players from the area who are interested in Amherst out watching our match - in case any of you all are reading this now (as I think Jackie told you to) thanks so much for coming and it was great to meet all of you! Theshots that these division one girls hit were heavier than most of our normal opponents' (mom, in case you were wondering, heavier means harder, deeper, and with tighter top-spin), but thanks to the hours spent working on doubles with Jackie, or even playing the dreaded set of doubles against Jackie (who is without a doubt the most competitive person I've ever met), we stayed unintimidated and capitalized on Cornell's unforced errors and our own partner-chemistry to finish the doubles round up 2-1. The match highlight was undoubtedly Jill Wexler battling back from 0-40, 7-8 in her service game to force the decisive doubles set into a tiebreak in which she and freshman partner, Laura Danzig, poached, aced, and slammed their way to a 7-5 victory. After a five minute break, the singles line-up was sent back out to the courts and, unfazed by the sun and heat, fought in tight matches for a 4-2 Amherst victory in the singles, making the final match score 6-3 Amherst. Since I was the last court to finish, I don't have much interesting information to add about these matches, so the complete scores will have to suffice:

Amherst 6, Cornell 3

1st doubles: Sanchez, Kent (C) def. Berckes, Brown (A) 8-1

2nd doubles: Wexler, Danzig (A) def. Googe, Miller (C) 9-8 (5)

3rd doubles: Bell, Ankola (A) def. Duboc, Chris (C) 8-6

1st singles: Kent (C) def. Berckes (A) 6-3, 6-3

2nd singles: C. King (A) def. Googe (C) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3

3rd singles: Miller (C) def. Brown (A) 6-4, 6-3

4th singles: Wexler (A) def. Duboc (C) 6-0, 4-6, 6-4

5th singles: Bell (A) def. Seyburn (C) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1

6th singles: L. King (A) def. Loumis (C) 6-0, 6-0

That night following our victory, the team, as well as all 22 members of Amherst men's tennis, enjoyed a home-cooked Mexican feast at Natasha Brown's nearby California house. While in the amazing limo-ride to dinner (thanks Mr. Brown!!!) the team, led by ever-mischevious Brittany Berckes devised a series of dares members of AWT would perform on other unsuspecting guests. These dares included Natasha silently giving unsuspecting men's tennis coach Chris Garner a lingering hug upon arrival, Melissa Moulton proposing to Sean Doerfler, Carlissa King serenading freshman Julian Camacho to "Contagious", and myself wordlessly feeding Priit Gross a strawberry dipped in frosting. As we left the Brown house, stomachs full of of burritos and red velvet cake, we all felt rejuvenated and ready for our next five matches.

The next morning we all prepared ourselves for a tough match against fellow division-three foe Pomona-Pitzer who's good results from the previous week we'd all noticed. Our focus and drive were evident as we marched to an 8-1 victory over the Sagehens on their home courts. Here's the complete rundown:

Amherst 8, Pomona-Pitzer 1

1st doubles: Finicane, Muesse (P) def. Berckes, Brown (A) 9-7

2nd doubles: Wexler, Danzig (A) def. Stevenson, Lange (P) 9-8 (1)

3rd doubles: Bell, Ankola (A) def. Holsted, Clough 8-0

1st singles: Berckes (A) def. Lange (P) 6-3, 6-3

2nd singles: C. King (A) def. Muesse 6-4, 6-1

3rd singles: Wexler (A) def. Holsted 1-6, 7-6 (6), 10-3

4th singles: Brown (A) def. Clough (P) 6-3, 6-4

5th singles: Bell (A) def. Myers (P) 6-2, 6-1

6th singles: L. King (A) def. Stevenson 6-1, 6-1

That night AWT was again grateful to be dinner guests at one of our teammate's houses, this time at Jennifer Ouyang's beautiful Pasadena abode. Following some much-anticipated retail therapy in old town Pasadena (Western Mass shopping really doesn't compare) we enjoyed a buffet feast for the second night in a row. After dinner we all piled into the den for a team "Gossip Girl" session in which talking outside of commercial breaks was strictly prohibited. If you can't tell by now, anyone who says going on a spring break trip with a sports team is all work and no fun has clearly never spent time with AWT.

Yesterday we reached the halfway point of our matches with a decisive 9-0 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Though we're still making some unforced errors and need to capitalize sooner on our opponents' short balls (as Jackie reminded us during the break between doubles and singles), the strides made during our daily matches are evident. Here, once again, are our scores from the match:

Amherst 9, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 0

1st doubles: Brown, Berckes (A) def. Fox, Kornfield (C) 8-5

2nd doubles: Wexler, Danzig (A) def. LaCava, Reed (C) 8-2

3rd doubles: Bell, Ankola (A) def. Hsu, Daly (C) 8-4

1st singles: Berckes (A) def. LaCava (C) 7-5, 6-1

2nd singles: C. King (A) def. Kornfield 6-3, 6-0

3rd singles: Wexler (A) def. Fox (C) 6-3, 6-2

4th singles: Brown (A) def. Hsu (C) 6-2, 6-1

5th singles: Bell (A) def. Reed (C) 6-1, 6-1

6th singles: L. King (A) def. Layendecker (C) 6-0, 6-0

Following our victory, several members of the team cooled off by jumping into the hotel pool while still in uniform - hopefully by next week I can post someone's pictures from this escapade on the blog because words don't do it justice. For the third and final night we were spectacularly hosted by Amherst tennis parents, this time by captain Tara Shabahang's extended family who prepared a splendid Persian feast that made several players exclaim a new found love for Persian cuisine. After eating red velvet cake, taking team picture number 72 (or so), and exchanging hugs and kisses with Shabahang grandmothers, aunts, brothers, and cousins, the team went to an early bed (after spreading some much needed aloe across our shoulders and backs) to get some much-needed rest before our three remaining matches.

Over the next three days we'll be playing Azusa Pacific, Redlands, and Cal State Fullerton. I'll try to post a quick update on those matches before the end of next week in case there are any diehard fans, other than my mom, reading this. If you've actually made it to the end of this ridiculously long entry, congratulations! To conclude and remind you of anything you may have forgotten while reading this brief novel, here's a rundown of what AWT has learned in California so far:

-Jill Wexler is unstoppable in tiebreakers (4-0 so far)

-SPF 70 doesn't stand up to California sunshine

-Julian Camacho enjoys being serenaded to R&B classics by members of AWT

-AWT parents must throw the best dinner parties in the 'CAC

-Laken King is a beast and has yet to give up a game in singles

-AWT has an insatiable (and, to me, incomprehensible) obsession with red velvet cake)

-I need a good editor

Thanks for reading! Until next week,

Mimi

            Only three days left until California! When members of AWT haven't longingly been checking the online 10-day forecast for Claremont, California or frantically studying for midterm exams, we've been continuing to prepare ourselves for the season's intense start. Our excitement for the upcoming spring break trip hit a new high this weekend when the unseasonably warm weather (combined with the ice-scraping and snow-shoveling efforts of Jackie and the Amherst Men's Tennis team) afforded us the rare opportunity of playing outside before April. I have never before witnessed AWT greet an early Sunday afternoon practice - on daylight savings time no less - with such eagerness as the smiling, enthusiastic, and almost glowingly-pale (thanks New England winter) group of us did this past week. As if the desire for spring break's respite from papers, test, and ever-changing cage practice times wasn't enough, the reminder of the sheer joy of playing tennis outdoors made our shared longing for the trip to sun-drenched California stronger. And, if 55 degrees and partly cloudy could elicit the type of reaction I witnessed last Sunday, I can only imagine how excited and motivated the team will be when its 75 degrees and sunny (as weather.com predicts) during our season opening match against Cornell this Sunday.

             In this unseasonably warm weather, on the indoor tennis courts at neighboring Mount Holyoke College and within the infamous cage our challenge matches were at last completed this weekend. These intense and spirited matches have re-honed our competitive mindsets which will inevitable prove invaluable in the ensuing months. Additionally, the countless hours spent on doubles are making themselves evident as each team continues to make great strides in their cooperation with, trust in, and enjoyment of one another. As Jackie wrote us in an email earlier this week in regards to our recent improvements, she has seen that the player at the baseline has been setting up her partner, the terminator (the net-player in the position to end, terminate, the point) has been putting the ball away, but we must still "remember in doubles it is always important not to get cute, stupid or bored".  Don't worry, Jackie. Point taken.

             Off the court, final preparations have been made before our 4:30 am departure from Amherst on Friday: our uniforms have (finally!) arrived, our deeply-bronzed assistant coach, Jon, has returned from his winter hiatus in Florida, and we've each been assigned a 'secret psyche' for whom to make or purchase a small gift that will psyche her up for the break. Though the gift-exchange tomorrow night will be a nice fulfillment of AWT tradition, I think it's pretty clear we hardly need any psyching.

That said, if whoever has me as her psyche happens to be reading this, I'm a big fan of dark chocolate.   

            So after reading some of the other blogs on the website, I realized I probably ought to introduce myself and, more importantly, the team. I am a sophomore double-majoring in religion and political science and originally hail from Shaker Heights, Ohio. Apart from the small class sizes, beautiful scenery, brilliant professors, and interesting students (to name but a few), I was attracted to Amherst by the tennis team's historical success within the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) and Division III as a whole. For those readers unacquainted with the history of the program, the Amherst women's tennis team has made 14 straight NCAA tournament appearances, has won the NESCAC title the past four years, and won the NCAA championship in 1999.  Though I am clearly biased, we are a veritable power house, and if we play intense, focused, and smart tennis there is no team that we cannot beat.

            Even more impressive than these statistics and my own immodest praise are the girls themselves who make up our unique, diverse, and ever-entertaining team. Though in the season's final tournaments our roster will be confined to eight players, eighteen girls are officially members of the team. Some may never see playing time, while some have crucial components of the line-up since their freshman fall, but regardless we're all proud to announce that we're part of "AWT" (Amherst Women's Tennis). Since my first captain's practice at Amherst over freshman orientation, the tennis team has been a source of support, advice, and friendship - even if it took me a month and a half to talk regularly in practices.  To say we become one another's family away from home is extraordinarily cliché, but also extraordinarily accurate. We compete with one another for playing time, turn to one another for advice, laugh with and at each other, and sometimes get so fed up that we just want to throw our racquet across the court and walk out, but the team's still your team and you're going to have to (and will indeed want to) show up to team dinner in the dining hall from time to time.

            But that's enough of an overview for now; its time to talk about what we're doing right now to ensure that this season is a success. This past week our cage time was (mercifully) pushed forward to 8pm - 10pm, with many of us coming down to work with Jackie in between our morning classes.  However, our usually varied and unpredictable practice schedule got a little more complicated as much of the team succumbed in bouts to coughing, running noses, and general fatigue - an undiagnosed malady now simply being referred to as 'the plague'. While Jackie was trying desperately to schedule challenge matches before our spring break play begins next Sunday, it seemed as though a new player was falling ill daily. Add to that the last-minute Sunday night exams, pulled muscles, and a thumb that swelled to the size of a small kiwi after being slammed in a door, and it seems lucky that we've managed to get any of these challenge matches in. Thankfully, the plague's presence has perceptibly diminished and everyone has once again returned to playing shape, with the only reminders of earlier illness being sniffles, coughs, and the industrial-sized box of Kleenex Charlotte brought to practice this weekend.

            For the next two weeks we will continue playing challenge matches, working doubles formations, and mentally and physically preparing ourselves for the demanding trip to California that awaits us. Look out for further previews about those matches and our own line up in next week's post! For now, here are a few pictures of the team to give you a better idea of what AWT is all about:

The team after last year's NESCAC Tournament win

After beating The College of New Jersey in California last spring

Most of last year's team (including Jackie and her daughter) at graduation

Until next week,

Mimi

"Its 11:30 on a Thursday night and you're at tennis practice in the cage! Williams is in bed right now, so let's get moving!" Tara, our ever-energetic and motivational captain yelled across the courts. Instantly the energy level, which had been waning as the Cinderella-hour slowly approached, surged anew. The mention of Williams brought back memories of our painful 6-3 loss in the fall, while the reminder that it was almost midnight and five of us were indeed still practicing on Amherst's three rubberized indoor tennis courts, engulfed by dead air and our own sweat, within the part of the gym lovingly referred to as "the cage", made the whole moment that much more ridiculous, but that much more hardcore. I shuffled faster around the three cones as I waited for my turn to hit and dispelled all thoughts of fatigue or the five-page religion paper due at 4pm tomorrow from my mind; now was time for tennis.

            As the spring tennis season officially began on February 15^th, Amherst, Massachusetts appeared the archetypal wintry New England town, just as it likely will for at least the next month. As necessitated by this never-ending onslaught of snow, for the first month or two of the spring season the spring sports teams at Amherst share this aforementioned, majestic structure known as "the cage". In the final weeks leading up to the 15^th, spring athletes at Amherst wait with baited breath for the release of the cage-schedule which will dictate much of their academic, social, and sleep schedules until the spring has actually arrived. This year, the two hour slots rotate weekly (in an effort for consistency and fairness among the many teams vying for practice in the cage), and for the first week of the season the tennis team was given time from 10pm to midnight every weeknight. Talk about starting the season off with a jolt.

            Lucky for us, our coach, Jackie, has been flexible enough to hit and drill with us during the mornings and afternoon (when the cage is reserved solely for tennis) as our class schedule allows. Carrying tennis bags and racquets to class while wearing our sweaty tee-shirts and sweatpants and trying in vain (at least in my case) to mask our post-practice odor has become standard once again and a signal that spring tennis has officially started. As our practice times become steadily earlier and more humane (at least until the hellish 7am-9am slot the week before spring break) the team will regain its focus, vigor, and drive. Our first match won't take place until March 15^th against Cornell during our spring break trip to California, but with each official practice the team's hunger for competition and reestablishing itself as a tennis-force grows palpably stronger.

            Now its 12:10 am - officially Friday morning. The five of us have finished picking up balls, rolling up the nets, and putting away the net posts and are gathering up our things before heading back to our dorms or the library. I throw my tennis bag over my shoulder and yell "see you in ten hours, Jackie", and recommence thinking about the paper I have yet to write.