For the multitude of spring breakers who experienced the sunshine and high temperatures in Florida this year, the vacation time was probably a blast as they partied it up on the beach. Among these travelers were a group of nine UR girls, although it could hardly be said that they spent their time lounging on the beach.

These girls traveled together as members of the UR women’s tennis team and spent their week training and competing instead of relaxing and tanning near the surf. This annual spring break trip typically trains the women for a few sessions and then offers them opportunities to compete with tennis teams from all over the country.

During the seven-day trip, the team practiced on the first day then headed straight into competition for the remainder of the time under the direction of head coach Anna Khvalina. The women spent their time at Sanlando tennis facilities in Altamonte Springs, an Orlando suburb. Freshman Elana Polivy described the training trip as being a good bonding experience for both the men’s and the women’s teams.

The women faced five competitors in Florida and recorded three wins and two losses. UR beat Haverford College, Drew University and Bryn Mawr College, and they lost to Coe College and Bentley College.

The women chased down Haverford with a close win (5-4). Freshman Lia Weiner and senior Colleen Cross clinched the top two singles spots. All three doubles spots were won by Weiner and senior Alexa Perry at No. 1 (8-5), Polivy and Cross at No. 2 (8-2) and freshmen Diane Samuels and Nisha Javeri at No. 3 (8-6).

In the matches against Coe, the only win was in the No. 2 doubles, with Cross and Polivy pulling out the victory (8-6). It was a strong battle for Weiner in No. 1 singles, as she lost a tough match to Coe’s Molly Fiala, who is ranked 23rd nationally.

Against Bentley, the women fared better in the doubles competition, but lost the match 6-3. The duo of Perry and Weiner defeated Bentley’s No. 1 doubles (8-4) while the No. 3 pair of freshman Maria Janda and junior Deborah Katz posted an 8-2 win. Weiner was the lone winner in singles at the No. 1 spot (6-0, 6-2).

The tides started to turn for the Yellowjacket women when they faced Drew. The pairs of Perry and Weiner, Cross and Polivy and Samuels and Katz swept the doubles sets.

UR continued its winning streak in the singles, only losing one match. Individual single matches were won by Weiner (6-0, 6-0), Cross (6-4, 6-0), Samuels (6-4, 6-0), Javeri (6-4, 6-4) and Janda (6-2, 6-1).

The trip ended on a high note with a 7-2 defeat of Bryn Mawr on Thursday afternoon. The duo of Perry and Weiner topped its opponents (8-1), while Cross and Polivy also won (8-2). In singles, UR almost swept all spots as Weiner, Perry, Samuels, junior Kristen Shaw and Janda left the courts victoriously.

With the Florida competitions under their belt, the women are excited for the rest of the season.

“We’re looking forward to seeing how much we can improve in the next couple of weeks and to peaking at the [University Athletic Association Championships],” Cross said. “Overall, it was a fun trip and a good experience.”

Before the training trip, the women posted a record of 4-1, with their only loss to Division I team Colgate University. They now have a record of 7-3.

As the tennis season heats up, the women will travel to Brandeis University on March 30. Further down the schedule they will travel to Babson College and St. Lawrence University and host Skidmore College. The women will ultimately work toward the UAA Championships, which will be hosted by Washington University in St. Louis in mid-April.

Endres is a member of the class of 2009.



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