Julie Flanzer '12 led the No. 52 women's tennis team with a 5-1 record at its first competition last weekend. The Bears hosted the Brown Invitational — an exhibition to start off the season and wipe away the rust that accumulated over the summer.
No. 45 Boston College, No. 50 Princeton, No. 54 Dartmouth, Rutgers University, Boston University and Binghamton University traveled to Providence for the invitational. Flanzer also posted a perfect 3-0 record with Carissa Aboubakare '12 in doubles.
"It is always tough because most of us haven't played matches since last spring," Flanzer said. "Even though we didn't all necessarily play our best tennis, we all competed really well."
Despite being out of form, Cassandra Herzberg '12 said she knew she had the skill to win. In the competition, she had a 4-2 record, going 2-1 in both singles and doubles play.
"Mentally, I felt confident in my ability to keep a winning attitude," she said.
With its first tournament under its belt, the team now know where it stands and is striving to improve.
"Mental toughness and confidence definitely help to some extent, but it is also extremely important to be physically fit as well," Herzberg said.
"I definitely think that there are always mistakes made on the court, which give us as a team more things to work on," she added.
But the team isn't just focusing on the negatives — many Bears gave strong performances this weekend. Ariel Caldwell '14, Jessica Harrow '14, Michalina Krasowski '13 and Herzberg went 4-2 overall and 2-1 in both singles and doubles.
"Our team is off to a great start, which is important because every fall tournament builds upon each other and gives us momentum into our spring season," Flanzer said.
The Bears look to maintain their momentum when they travel to Flushing, N.Y. Oct. 8-10 for the U.S. Open Tournament.
