The Berkeley Beacon

Issue date: 10/13/05 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Beacon file phto

Media Credit: Beacon file phto

No one would have blamed the players of Emerson College's women's tennis team if they had folded in their match against Pine Manor College last Wednesday. They were just 1-5 in a season that has come to be defined not by wins and losses, but by the attendance of players.

The Lions had to forfeit two of seven matches for simple lack of people power, as only four players were able to make the match. But instead of giving up, the players decided to make a statement. The Lions won every match they played and, as a result, beat Pine Manor, 5-2.

"It felt so good to win," Head Coach Gary Chafetz said. "You know, you always hear all the sports clichés about how it's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game and all that, but it feels good to win."

In the only doubles match of the day, seniors Jenny Barr and Justine Thurman won 8-1. A co-captain of the team, Barr also won her singles match 6-4, 6-1.

Both Thurman and sophomore Erica Rydberg disposed of their opponents without giving up a game, each winning 6-0, 6-0 in singles play.

In addition, junior Jodie Jordan was due at her job just an hour and fifteen minutes after the match was scheduled to start. Jordan made sure she got to work on time by putting up an impressive victory, winning in straight sets 6-0, 6-0.

"Jodie is so unflappable," Chafetz said. "She's a fighter. No matter what's happening she's always got the same expression on her face. To have her and Jenny gives us two really tough players as our numbers one and two."

The match was especially important because of the way the team rallied around adversity.

"It's hard obviously because of the circumstances," Barr said. "You're trying to focus on your match, but at the same time we're playing as a team. Tennis is such a mental sport that it does influence the way you play sometimes because you know you're going into a match already down."

Jordan agreed that a lack of players is tough to overcome.

"It can be very frustrating," Jordan said. "It's distracting but regardless of what's going on you still have to focus on playing."

Chafetz said his squad would register more wins if he had a full roster.

"If we ever had all our players we could be a really strong team," Chafetz said.

Despite their 3-6 record at press time, the team will be playing in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference quarterfinals, which will give the players a chance to turn around what has been an otherwise disappointing season.

When asked if playing was still fun, however, Barr did not hesitate.

"Absolutely!" she said. "This is a challenging team, but if you're going to play a sport, it's because you love that sport."

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