The Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranked Hillsdale College’s women’s tennis program nationally in Division II for the first time in its six years of existence, after the team toppled Wayne State University and Ursuline College over the weekend.
“I am very proud of the team,” head coach Nikki Walbright said. “It feels good to see a result of our efforts, and I look forward to seeing us continue to do well this season.”
ITA ranked the Chargers 47th. The announcement came after they defeated the WSU Warriors, who ITA ranked No. 45 last week, 5-4 on Friday. A 9-0 nearly perfect victory over Ursuline on Sunday also started Hillsdale’s conference matches off well. Hillsdale is now 6-4 overall and 1-0 in its first season in the G-MAC, after winning its fourth straight match.
As a result of the wins, Hillsdale jumped from not ranking to No. 47 this week, according to ITA’s charts, ahead of Wayne State and right behind Adelphi University in New York.
“We are closer as a team than we ever have been before,” sophomore Kamryn Matthews said. “I definitely think the unending support helps us to push ourselves and each other to be the best we can be and our hard work has shown through our success in beating a nationally ranked team and now being a nationally ranked team.”
Mumbling under their breath words of self-encouragement after a missed point and yelling out “Go Blue!” to their teammates, the Charger women held their grit in the long match against WSU in the Biermann Athletics Center.
“It very easily could have gone the other way,” Walbright said. “Court by court, everyone tried their hardest, and we just won more matches that day.”
As Matthews was the final Charger on the courts with an overall team score of 4-4, her No. 5 singles match extended to more than hour, while her team was on the sidelines cheering her on.
“The fact that I was playing for something greater than myself really got me through my match,” Matthews said. “When it comes down to your match to decide the overall winner, you can’t really describe the feeling. It’s a lot of pressure, for sure, but knowing that it’s not only a win for yourself, but a win for your whole team, makes you want to rise to the occasion even more.”
Matthews won that match with a tiebreaker in the second set. Her final score was 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 against freshman Linda Liong. Hillsdale freshman Hannah Cimpeanu also was victorious at No. 3 singles 6-1, 7-5.
Junior Madeline Bissett at No. 6 also won 6-3, 6-2, after her 8-4 win with Matthews at No. 3 doubles. Cimpeanu and junior Halle Hyman were victorious 8-4, as well, at No. 2 doubles.
“We knew it was a good team, and we wanted to play our best,” Walbright said. “We didn’t overthink anything and stayed calm and played our game.”
Sophomore Katie Bell and junior Corinne Prost also put up a hard fight at No. 1 doubles, though lost at the end in a tiebreaker game 9-8 (7-3).
Hyman also played a long, intense match against junior Dasha Kuznetsova, falling at No. 2 singles 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. At No. 1, Bell lost 6-2, 6-1, and Prost at No. 4 lost 6-1, 6-4.
“Everyone contributed, and it was a great day for everyone,” Walbright said. “In my opinion, we looked like the better team that day. We were more confident. We were more consistent, and we had better body language.”
Despite still feeling a bit tired from its long match on Friday, Hillsdale traveled to Mayfield, Ohio, and shutout Ursuline. It was a quick match, but it required a lot of focus and some quick footwork, Walbright said.
“They have a young program, and they were a nice team,” she said. “We were just the stronger program, and it showed.”
The Chargers swept all six singles courts 6-0, 6-0 with victories from the same lineup as Friday’s match.
The Arrows did win one game in doubles on court No. 1, but Bell and Prost ultimately were victorious 8-1. Cimpeanu and Hyman at No. 2 doubles and Bissett and Matthews at No. 3 won 8-0.
“They have a young program, and they were a nice team,” Walbright said. “We were just the stronger program, and it showed.”
The Chargers hit the road again this Easter weekend, playing at Kentucky Wesleyan University on Friday and Cedarville University on Saturday. Their play returns home on Wednesday to face Lewis University at 3:30 p.m.
“We are constantly looking to improve, playing more points, more singles, more doubles,” Walbright said. “But every time we win it feels good, and Sunday was a good way to start out the G-MAC.”