Bryn Mawr, Pa. - The Bryn Mawr tennis team closed out their 2015 season with a rare doubleheader earlier Saturday afternoon. The Owls lost their regularly scheduled match against Franklin & Marshall by a 9-0 score in the morning. Then, Bryn Mawr faced off against the sixth-ranked team in the country in Johns Hopkins in a make-up match of a rained out contest from earlier in April. Although the Owls fought hard in what would be their last match of the year, the Blue Jays pulled off the sweep with a 9-0 win.
In the first match of the day, Bryn Mawr faced off against a tough regionally-ranked Franklin & Marshall squad. The doubles contests did not go the Owls' way, as the Diplomats only lost two games over the three matches played.
However, the hosts were able to find some positives in the singles play. At first position, Lizzie Siegle managed to take three games in the first set, but couldn't hang on in the second and fell by a score of 6-3, 6-1. At second singles, Melina Koukoutchos played a solid match, but fell by a score of 6-2, 6-2. Kendall Baller had a tremendous first set in her third singles match. The junior played a big first set, coming up just short after a marathon battle to lose 7-5. After that grueling set, it was tough to maintain the intensity in the second frame, and Baller ultimately fell be a score of 7-5, 6-1. The Diplomats managed to showcase their depth in the final three singles matches, as the visitors only lost two games total in those three matches.
In the second contest of the day, Bryn Mawr took on a highly talented opponent in Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays came into today's match with a 14-4 overall record and an undefeated 9-0 mark in the conference, and they were able to prove why they are one of the best teams in the country with a good performance on the courts today.
In doubles, the Owls battled hard, but once again were only able to win two games in the three matches played. Once again, however, Bryn Mawr stayed focused and stayed in the match, never giving up on a point in singles.
Siegle once again competed at the first spot, and although she lost her contest by a score of 6-0, 6-2, it was a highly competitive match from beginning to end. In fact, the same can be said of each match that happened on the BMC courts today - they were intense and featured long rallies across the board.
Another of the closer singles matches featured Jennifer Laske at the fifth position. The vocal freshman played a great contest against Hopkins' Macie Wilkins, with both sides putting on a good performance in the match. In the end, Wilkins took the victory by a final score of 6-2, 6-3.
With the losses, the Owls finish their season out with a 1-16 record, but there are still a lot of positives to take from the year. By the end of the season, Bryn Mawr's level of play and effort had improved noticeably, both in doubles and in singles. A few really solid doubles pairings emerged and built solid relationships on the court. And perhaps the best news of all, there were no seniors on this season's squad, so this entire group of student-athletes will return next year with a season under their belts. Juniors Melina Koukoutchos, Kendall Baller, Tirsa Delate, and Molly MacDougall should all be back to help senior a solid group of student-athletes in their quest for success next season.
