Princeton badgers Wisconsin for win

The women's tennis team took care of business Sunday afternoon against Wisconsin, sweeping every match en route to a 7-0 shutout victory.

The Tigers (3-2 overall) were impressive against the Badgers (3-6, 0-1 Big Ten Conference), a tough Big Ten opponent, at the Nielsen Tennis Center in Madison, Wis.

Princeton captured the three doubles contests, 9-8 (7-5), 8-6, 8-4. The clinching doubles match occurred when freshman Blakely Ashley and sophomore Kristen Scott defeated Wisconsin's Morgan Tuttle and Kim Roberts, 8-4.

"We were successful against Wisconsin because we walked onto the court with energy and confidence," Scott said. "We set the tone of the match during doubles and were able to carry that over to singles."

Clearly the team did not lose much focus after completing the doubles matches. Ashley beat Wisconsin's Nicole Beck 6-1 in the first set before Beck had to retire with an injury. This was followed by another easy win for junior Ivana King, who trounced Wisconsin's Kaylan Caiati at the No. 1 singles position.

King has been rolling through her opponents lately, winning her last four singles matches with the last three coming in easy straight-set victories.

"I think there were some tough matches, but it was the feeling that we didn't fly all the way out to Wisconsin to lose," King said. "We've been working so hard since the fall, and our results have shown what we are capable of. I tried to play too smart in doubles, but luckily we pulled through. In singles, I was mentally prepared to try to win every point. As a whole, I think it was a great team effort to pull out such a strong win."

Three of the matches proved to be slightly tougher for the Orange and Black. The No. 2 through 4 singles matches all went to three sets. Freshman Melissa Saiontz beat Wisconsin's Liz Carpenter in the longest match of the day at No. 2, 6-7, 6-4, 10-6. Freshman Sarah Huah and senior Darcy Robertson also pulled out hard-fought three-set victories as well.

"It was a very productive weekend. We took a long road trip and didn't let the cold weather or tough traveling get us down. We got into Wisconsin, we won definitively and we came home," Robertson said. "It was a great bonding trip for the entire team. Everyone played really well, and I was really proud of everyone, their attitude and the way they executed."

Senior Laura Trimble sealed the deal for the Tigers at No. 6 singles, winning against Wisconsin's Kim Roberts in straight sets. Her win was the clincher that gave Princeton its fourth point. Trimble, a Midwest native from Indianapolis, felt more pressure than the rest of the team.

"The win at Wisconsin this weekend was a huge boost for our confidence and momentum. Personally, as the only Midwesterner on the team, it was a big match for me, since we have never played a Midwest team before, and we were playing a bunch of my old rivals," Trimble said.

"The team felt especially competitive as well, since we have never flown before for a weekend dual match. We usually just fly on big trips like Intersession and spring break. That contributed to the competitive spirit, because we didn't want to travel so far and lose. Losing wasn't an option this weekend," she said.

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Though this was a fun and meaningful win for the team, the players are clearly looking ahead to the season to come.

"I wouldn't necessarily say that this match is what we will use to pump ourselves up, but definitely it reinforces all that we've worked and trained hard for," King said. "Our match with Maryland next Sunday is the big one, so I am putting this match aside and looking forward to our next one."