Charger tennis finished the spring season with a strong victory over Aquinas College, after playing two matches over the past two weekends.
Hillsdale beat Aquinas 7-2. On Friday, March 21, the Chargers fell 7-2 to Davenport University.
Head coach Nicole Walbright said that the team was inconsistent with their play, and the loss was a bit of a disappointment.
“Overall we have a lot to work on,” Walbright had said after the match. “We were kind of up and down the whole time.”
Despite the losing record (1-5), which included three DI losses, sophomore Lindsay Pierce said the Davenport match as well as previous matches were an opportunity to grow and improve for next season.
“While I think it has been a challenge, I think it has been a good challenge,” Pierce said.
With the Chargers’ first victory of the spring season recorded, the team feels confident that their hard work has finally paid off.
While there were many standout plays of the match, Walbright said one of the most exciting moments was the no. 2 doubles match when Pierce and fellow sophomore Shannon O’Hearn won a tough match 9-7 against Aquinas’ Ariana Kabodian and Marjeanne Bothma. Although O’Hearn wasn’t originally scheduled to play doubles, due to illness freshman Dana Grace Buck wasn’t able to compete, giving O’Hearn the chance to step up and earn a win for the Chargers.
“It was awesome to get out there and help our team get the victory,” O’Hearn said.
Coach Walbright said that the match against Aquinas was probably the best-played match of the season.
“It was nice to see all of the hard work from the season come together in the final match,” Walbright said. “I think it gives us something to build on and we will be able to expect a little more out of them next year.”
With all the matches complete until fall season, the team looks forward to working hard during summer to come back strong in the fall.
