| Mishawaka, IN — It was another agonizingly marginal defeat for the Goshen College women’s tennis team Saturday morning, as the squad dropped a 5-4 decision to Mid-Central Conference rival Bethel College.
Saturday’s loss was the latest — and closest — in a string of league defeats, as the Pilots' bottom portion of the singles lineup sealed the deal. After seniors Diana Diaz and Laurelyn Foderaro closed the door in straight-set wins at number one and two singles, it was Bethel that responded down the line, taking the two through six flights for four key points.
The defeat adds to a pair of 3-6 losses to Grace College and Taylor University earlier in the year, while Bethel and Goshen (1-3, 0-3) have now alternated wins in each of the last four seasons.
“This year has felt like a season on the brink,” said Sarah Yoder, Goshen head coach. “We have been so close in all three of our conference matches so far. We just can’t quite get a win.”
With singles occurring first on Saturday, it was Diaz and Foderaro that stole the show for Yoder’s cause. Diaz cruised to a 6-4, 6-2 win over Bethel’s Jade Walus at the top flight, while Foderaro made easy work of the Pilots’ Missy Vermillion — a 6-3, 6-3 decision — at number two.
Yoder’s team struggled in the rest of the lineup, however, dropping straight-set losses at number four, five and six singles while freshman Rachel Lanctot dropped a heartbreaking, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) card in the number three slot.
“Diana and Laurel were focused in right from the beginning, and both dominated the matches with penetrating ground strokes, solid serves and aggressive serve receive,” Yoder said. “After having a botched wrist surgery on her left hand last spring, Diana has worked so hard this past summer and so far this fall to learn a one handed backhand so that she can continue to compete. It was fun to watch things fall into place in her singles match today. Laurelyn took charge of her match right away, too. We were in matches at number three and number six singles as well, but just couldn’t pull off the first sets. Both (senior) Janie (Beck) and Rachel fought hard all the way through though. These are matches that very easily could have gone the other direction on a different day.”
Needing a sweep in doubles play to garner the team win, Yoder’s troops nearly pulled off the feat. Diaz and Foderaro roared past Bethel’s top doubles squad for an 8-1 win, while Lanctot and classmate Alyssa Dewing used a steady game to post a 9-7 win in the number two position.
That decision came with the overall match already sewn up, however, as Bethel’s number three tandem of Walus and Sherra Milender had already handed Beck and junior Amanda Weybright an 8-3 loss.
“With the match already being decided, I was excited to see Rachel and Alyssa push so hard for a win,” Yoder said. “They had a slow start in their match as their opponents were both playing back at the baseline and it took them awhile to adjust to the court positioning. After finding themselves down 3-6 in the eight-game proset, they took charge of the net, put a large percentage of their first serves in play and cleaned up their unforced errors. They went on to win six of the next seven games. With the way our conference holds its tournament, every individual win is important for seeding purposes. I was excited to see my freshmen raise their games and dig deep for the win.”
Things get no easier for Yoder’s squad in the immediate future, as the Leafs will travel to conference foe Indiana Wesleyan University on Tuesday. The Wildcats finished the 2007 spring season ranked 14th in the nation. Match time is set for 3 p.m. in Marion Tuesday afternoon.
Singles:
#1 Diana Diaz (G) def. Jade Walus (B): 6-4, 6-2
#2 Laurelyn Foderaro (G) def. Missy Vermillion (B): 6-3, 6-3
#3 Carrie Edison (B) def. Rachel Lanctot (G): 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
#4 Sherra Milender (B) def. Hannah Groff (G): 6-1, 6-2
#5 Rachel Strittmatter (B) def. Alyssa Dewing (G): 6-0, 6-1
#6 Amy Lamport (B) def. Janie Beck (G): 6-4, 6-3
Doubles:
#1 Diaz/Foderaro (G) def. Bree Oles/Vermillion (B) 8-1
#2 Lanctot/Dewing (G) def. Edison/Strittmatter (B): 9-7
#3 Walus/Milender (B) def. Beck/Amanda Weybright (G): 8-3
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Senior Diana Diaz