Following a poor showing in the SUNYAC Championships in the fall, the Oswego State women’s tennis team will look to end its season on a positive note this spring. The Lakers only have three matches remaining, following 15 during the fall session.
Despite the shortened spring campaign, the Lakers are not approaching it any differently than they would the fall.
“We are just trying to get as much playing time in as we can,” sophomore Haley Miller said. “We aren’t approaching it much differently than the fall season. We want to do well in the few matches that we have this season, but the ultimate goal is for everyone to see improvements in their game and level of fitness.”
Oswego State went 3-12 in the fall, including a 0-3 mark in the SUNYAC. Three of the team’s losses came in the SUNYAC Championships in Binghamton in October. The Lakers’ first match was against SUNY New Paltz on Oct. 5. The Hawks blanked the Lakers, as they took all five of the matches. Oswego State would go on to fall to The College at Brockport, 6-3, on Oct. 6 and SUNY Fredonia, 5-2, on Oct. 7.
Although they struggled in the fall, the Lakers will look to use what they learned going into the spring.
“I’ve learned that hard work and determination certainly pays off,” Miller said. “Personally, I think the fall season was very rewarding, both individually and for our team. Last season, I put a lot of effort into developing my skills, and I want to continue doing that during the spring season.”
All of the Lakers’ matches in the spring will come against opponents they faced in the fall. Oswego State will kick off the spring session with its only remaining home match of the season on Wednesday against Alfred University. The Lakers faced off against the Saxons on Sept. 22, as they took the road victory, 5-4.
Oswego State will then take on Roberts Wesleyan on April 16. The Redhawks shut out the Lakers, 9-0, on Sept. 19 at the Romney Tennis Courts. The loss to Roberts Wesleyan was the sixth out of seven Oswego State suffered to start out the fall season.
The final game of the Lakers’ spring season will come on April 18 against Wells College. Oswego State took down the Express at home on Oct. 1, 8-1. The win was Oswego State’s largest thus far this season.
Miller said the spring season takes on more of a relaxing atmosphere, but that is not going to stop the Lakers from trying to get better.
“The spring season is more laid-back, but I know that we all still take it seriously and see it as a time to continue improving our skills,” Miller said. “My teammates are a wonderful group of girls and I know we have the potential to do well during the spring season.”
The Lakers, led by senior Kelly Corwin, recorded seven wins in 14 matches during the fall. All of her wins came at the No. 4 spot. She was the only member of the team who did not have a losing record in singles play. Corwin also had one win in doubles along with sophomore Olivia Knierman, although they also had 13 losses.
Sophomore Haley Miller had the second-highest win total in singles for Oswego State, as she went 5-9 overall. She also went 1-0 in doubles with senior Wini Decker. Decker went 0-1 in singles play. Sophomore Lauren Stall recorded six combined wins in singles and doubles, as she went 2-12 solo and 4-11 with fellow sophomore Hannah Rawlings.
Overall, the Lakers had a singles winning percentage of .250 (21-63) and .200 (9-36) in doubles. In conference play, Oswego State only had one win in 18 singles matches, coming from Stall. The Lakers did not earn a victory in doubles play in nine tries.
The Lakers have been working out in the offseason in order to hopefully improve upon those numbers.
“I’ve been keeping in shape during the offseason by staying active and going to the gym,” Miller said. “Many of my teammates have been doing that as well.”
Despite the short spring season, the Lakers will look to improve overall and set a positive tone heading into the fall season next year.
“Everyone on my team tries their best, and that is all that matters,” Miller said. “We are all there for each other, whether it is to congratulate each other or to offer encouragement after a rough match. We all love the sport and that’s what keeps us going.”
