After losing 10 out of its first 12 matches this spring, the AU women's tennis team could have given up on its final two.
But, following a 4-3 victory over Colgate, the Eagles dominated their last outing ever, winning all seven matches over Manhattan Tuesday afternoon to send the program out on a two-match winning streak.
"The girls played great," coach Carol Daniels said in a statement. "It's a fitting way to end an era of AU women's tennis with a win. I am very proud of how the girls collectively represented themselves, the team and the university throughout the season. It was an honor to coach them."
Junior Julia Colarusso came back from a 6-4 first-set defeat against Jen Fowler of the Jaspers to dominate the rest of her match, winning the second set 6-0 and a 1-0 tiebreaker. Colarusso also paired with sophomore Malvina De La Canal to take an 8-1 doubles win.
Senior Brandi Kligman and junior Merrisa Hollinger also were victorious in both singles and doubles competition
The victory against Manhattan ended a troubled year for the team. The Eagles lost their first three matches of the season and endured a five-match losing steak through the month of April.
The team was playing with the knowledge that the program was being cut, which was announced last spring and received national media attention, despite a successful 2003-04 season in which the team won the Patriot League title and competed in the NCAA tournament.
The protests of students and alumni persuaded the University to give the women's tennis team, along with the men's tennis and golf teams, funding for one more season.
While the men's team has been competitive this season, and is expected to make the PL championship match, the women's team was a question mark entering the season.
"We started out the season with no idea what to expect," said junior Brynne Ward, who teamed with freshman Casey Coleman to win her final doubles match, 8-4. "We had no idea how hard the league would be or how competitive we were going to be."
Although the team started out poorly, it kept its focus throughout the season. A two-time PL coach of the year, Daniels encouraged the team to keep fighting.
"She kept pushing as hard as she could to keep us from giving up early," Ward said. "She did a great job."
The team was also aided by the performance of its two freshmen, Coleman and Ali Harrison.
"Our freshmen came in knowing that they only had one year to play and weren't going to have a chance to grow," Ward said. "They gave us more than we could have expected them to."
In its final season, the team also received increased support from the student body, with an attednance increase at home matches. Although the final game was delayed 24 hours due to rain on Monday, Saturday's game against Colgate was well attended and served as a final send-off for the team.
"We had a lot more support this year," Ward said. "It was the last chance for our friends and family to come out and see us play. Against Colgate, all but one girl had their family there."
Although the team did not have a winning season, Ward said it was still a successful year for a team that was playing solely for their love of the game.
"Everyone on that team played for each other," Ward said. "Losing funding is a terrible thing, but the most important thing it that we had the opportunity to be a part of that team. We're going to miss each other a lot"
