The women’s tennis team has a 34-game winning streak against Empire 8 teams and shows no signs of stopping.

The Bombers have kept this winning streak going since 2005, when Head Coach Bill Austin was starting his fifth year coaching the team. Since the beginning of the streak, the team has been led by key players Lindsey Johnston ’09, Natalie Jenereski ’09, Alyssa Jaffe ’09 and Michelle Duffy ’09.

“Those guys came in and that was a year after we lost in the finals to Alfred,” Austin said. “They were the core of the team in the next four years. They came in and dug in and created a whole bunch of wins for this team.”

Trying to keep the streak going now are seniors Sarah Hollis and Devra Reiman, junior Melanie Cohen and freshman Cristina Nunez. Hollis and Reiman have been a part of the streak since they were freshmen and look to carry it on this year.

“I remember being a freshman and being so nervous in the Empire 8 tournament,” Hollis said. “Now I’m the captain, and I definitely feel stronger on the court. It’s good to see how far our team has come in the last three years.”

Austin said he has always taught the team about hard work, perseverance and always trying to do better the next time. During matches, the team is supportive and always looks to motivate one another.

“I have kids who love tennis and love to work hard and like to compete,” Austin said. “It’s the players — they love to play.”

Though Reiman said the team is proud of its winning streak, the Bombers are not thinking about it all the time. Their attitude is more focused on playing one game at a time, and they look forward to each game, Austin said.

“We just focus at the task at hand and never like to look into the future,” he said.

Though the team is proud of its streak, every great streak has to come to an end at some point, Hollis said.

“Not everyone’s perfect — it happens,” she said. “It happened to [Roger] Federer. It happened to the best player in the world.”

The Bombers were voted unanimously in the Empire 8 Coaches’ Poll to win the conference championship. Reiman said she recently thought about the streak and felt a little pressure.

They might be feeling some pressure, but overall the team is confident and excited for its match today against Hartwick College, Hollis said.

“We have a good chance of winning, and we’re not going to let it get to our heads. We’re going to go out there and play our hardest,” she said.

The Los Angeles Lakers have the NBA all-time winning streak at 33 games, the college baseball winning-streak record is held by the University of Texas and Florida Atlantic University, both at 34 games, and the Philadelphia Flyers hold the NHL record for 35 consecutive games won. Austin said the Bombers’ record stacks up with those.

“It is a testament to the team,” Austin said.

The Bombers might not be the Lakers, but they do own a spot in the college’s history book. They are going for their 35th straight win against Empire 8 teams at 4 p.m. today at home against Hartwick.

 

Tennis Match Results
Cortland vs Ithaca
09/15/09 at Ithaca, N.Y.

Ithaca 8, Cortland 1

Singles competition
1. Cristina NUNEZ (IC) def. Loraine Jelinek (CORT) 6-2, 6-0
2. Melanie COHEN (IC) def. Stephanie DiCapua (CORT) 6-3, 6-3
3. Devra REIMAN (IC) def. Gabriela Medina (CORT) 6-3, 6-3
4. Sarah HOLLIS (IC) def. Alyssa Tretter (CORT) 6-1, 6-1
5. Kelsey HARNESS (IC) def. Alana Sullivan (CORT) 6-4, 3-6, 10-5
6. Becky CAMPBELL (IC) def. Kristina Lazzaro (CORT) 6-1, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Agata KUBIK/Cristina NUNEZ (IC) def. Stephanie DiCapua/Alyssa Tretter (CORT) 8-4
2. Loraine Jelinek/Gabriela Medina (CORT) def. Melanie COHEN/Melissa NUNEZ (IC) 9-8 (7-3)
3. Sarah HOLLIS/Devra REIMAN (IC) def. Kristina Lazzaro/Alana Sullivan (CORT) 8-3

Team Records:
Cortland 5-2
Ithaca 2-0

Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,1,6,2,3,5)

Source: Sports Information