CHESTERTOWN, Md. - The Bryn Mawr tennis team took to the road for their first Centennial Conference contest of the season earlier Tuesday afternoon, as the Owls traveled down to Maryland to take on the Shorewomen of Washington College. Bryn Mawr put together some solid battles at key spots throughout the afternoon, but ultimately Washington College was able to hang on and claim a 9-0 win on the day.
The hosts picked up a quick two points at the top two doubles spots to open the match, but Bryn Mawr really gave Washington College a fight at third doubles. The duo of Jennifer Laske and Christina Xue paired up to take on Washington College's Katzman and Samer, and that proved to be a highly competitive faceoff. Laske and Xue stayed right with their opponents most of the way through the first half of that battle, never trailing by more than one or two games. Unfortunately, weather forced the match to be moved from the outdoor courts to Washington College's indoor facility midway through the match, and that seemed to give the Shorewomen an advantage. After being within one game at 5-6 when the match was moved, Laske and Xue took a tough loss in the first two games indoors, ultimately giving Washington College an 8-5 win in that matchup.
On the singles side, it was Hannah Sherman and Christina Xue who led the comeback effort for the Owls. Playing at the second singles spot, Sherman got off to a fast start against her opponent, Rachel Martinez. However, Martinez was able to battle back and win the first set by a slim 6-4 margin. Again, Sherman put together a strong fight in the second set, taking three games from Martinez. Unfortunately, the Shorewomen player held off Sherman's comeback effort, winning the second set 6-3 to take the point.
Xue also had a very strong first set at the sixth singles spot, as she took three games in that frame. However, her opponent managed to scrape by and win the set 6-3, then hang on and take the match with a 6-1 win in the second set.
Mariam Haider had a tough first set, losing 6-1 in the opening frame of her match at third singles. The senior did a solid job rebounding in the second frame and not giving up, winning a couple more games in that set as well. The Owls were only able to win two games in their other three matches, ultimately falling 9-0 to the Shorewomen in the end.
Bryn Mawr will be right back in action against another tough Centennial Conference team this weekend when they welcome Johns Hopkins to campus. The Owls will face off against the Blue Jays at 10:00 AM on the Bryn Mawr tennis courts on Saturday morning.
