Julie Kendall
Sports Editor
After a four-month winter hiatus, Wooster’s men’s and women’s tennis teams resumed competition this week, looking to notch some wins against a slate of tough opponents this spring season. Both teams earned split records in their three-game fall season, the women finishing 1-2 and the men going 2-1. As they head into Division and Conference play, the Scots hope to improve over last year’s disappointing finishes.
The men’s team began play on Wednesday after press time against Otterbein University, who defeated the Scots 6-3 in last year’s spring matchup, and look to bring tough competition again this year. The Scots will then travel to Hilton Head, S.C. for spring break, where they will match up with Division III teams from across the country.
When they return in April, the Scots will play two more games at home before turning their sights toward NCAC play against Allegheny College, Wittenberg University, Kenyon College, Denison University and Ohio Wesleyan University. The conference features two nationally ranked teams: Kenyon and Denison.
The team looks to improve over last year’s performance, which they finished with a 4-18 overall record, losing all three of their conference matches. They have already hadsuccess this year, winning two of three in the fall season, defeating Capital University and Malone University in the first two matches and ending with a loss to Walsh on Oct. 8.
The team is very young, consisting of seven first-years, five sophomores, and two juniors. They will be looking to sophomore captain Landon Moore, who posted three singles wins last year and was selected to the All-North Coast Athletic Conference Team.
The women begin play Friday with a home match against Ashland University. They will play two at home against Otterbein and Malone before their spring break trip to Hilton Head.
When they return in April, the Scots will face off against five conference opponents out of eight total matches, including a nationally-ranked Denison squad.
The Scots failed to secure a single conference win last year, and finished last in the standings. They completed the season with a 7-13 overall record and are hoping to rack up some more victories this year with a veteran team.
Although they fell in two of three matches in the fall season, the current team looked positive with a sweep of Capital and a close 4-5 score to Mount Union. Current senior Ashley Stockwell, was selected to the All-North Coast Athletic Conference Team in 2011 and looks to continue her success.