Last Saturday, Oberlin women’s tennis competed at the Wooster Invitational.
Following a solid start at the Allegheny College Invitational, the women’s tennis team built on their momentum in the competition with 11 total victories across singles and doubles. The team has established themselves as a formidable force this fall season.
Six different Oberlin players notched singles victories. First-year Eva Lopez claimed a hard-fought 8–6 win over Sarah Sgambati of John Carroll University, continuing her impressive debut after earning her first collegiate singles win the previous week. Second-year Freya Rahm displayed her experience and consistency with a commanding 8–2 victory over Payton Sikora of JCU. Second-year transfer Rachel Allen, who has quickly become a key contributor to the team, continued to make her mark in Oberlin colors by defeating Felicity Kolb of JCU 8–5. First-year Olivia Wollner also dominated in singles play, beating The College of Wooster’s Elyse Errington 8–1. Wollner, like Lopez, secured her first career singles win the week before and followed it up with an even stronger performance at Wooster. Third-year Moé Ariyoshi added to the winning total, dispatching Mia Smith of Wooster 8–3. Not to be outdone, fourth-year Anna Pastore handled Janaki Jagannathan of Wooster, 8–1, continuing her early-season dominance.
The Yeowomen’s strength in doubles was equally evident as they picked up five wins, once again showing their versatility in pairing combinations. Allen, who teamed up with Rahm for the first round of doubles, continued to shine. The duo quickly beat Wooster’s Jagannathan and Errington, winning 6–3. In the second round of doubles, Allen switched partners, joining forces with Lopez. They defeated Jagannathan and Errington once again, this time in a more decisive fashion, winning 6–1. Pastore also demonstrated her doubles prowess, partnering with Lopez in the third round of doubles to beat JCU’s Sikora and Caroline Chandler 6–3. In the following round, Pastore teamed up with first-year Scarlett Kingston to defeat Sikora and Madi Davila of JCU, 6–4, showing her adaptability with different partners. Finishing off the doubles action in style, the team of Ariyoshi and Wollner swept Wooster’s Errington and Smith, 6–0, putting an emphatic stamp on the Yeowomen’s day of competition.
“Our team’s success is a great indicator for the spring season, and I think it’s given us a lot of valuable confidence,” Pastore said in an interview with the Review. “We play hard and earn our wins, and even in the matches we’ve lost so far, everyone has shown a great fight that can only help us in the spring. We’re all there for each other, win or lose, and I can only see us getting closer and closer heading into the spring season — and a close team full of athletes who care is going to be hard to beat.”
Rahm expanded on Pastore’s point.
“Coming from being on such a small team last year to now having nine people […] has been really exciting for our team,” she said. “We are competing really well and experimenting with different doubles partners. I have played with so many people and figured out what works well.”
Ariyoshi also noted how a strong team can facilitate individual growth.
“[The competition] was very formative, both for me and the new team,” Ariyoshi said. “We competed and personally, I felt my playing [enter] a new stage.”
The Oberlin women’s tennis team has had a stellar start to their fall campaign, with 22 total victories across their first two competitions. The depth and talent of the squad are evident, with both newcomers and seasoned players contributing significantly. The Yeowomen will look to continue their winning streak and build on their early successes at the ITA Regionals in Kalamazoo, Michigan from Sept. 27–29.
