Racquetwomen Battle Tufts, Weather; Lose to Both

An ill wind blew for the Radcliffe tennis team yesterday, as the racquet-women came down on the hard side of a tough contest with Tufts, losing 5-2.

"It wasn't really tennis," doubles player Janet Clark said yesterday, referring to the inclement weather conditions that prevailed at Soldiers' Field. "Tennis ceases to be a game of skill when you've got 50 mile-an-hour winds whipping the ball around."

"It was a bad scene," teammate Katie Ditzler agreed. "The wind definitely made any attempt at concentrating very difficult."

But despite a bad wind and a tough opponent, the team refused to let itself be blown away, displaying a tenacity that was reflected in the extreme closeness of the scores.

Playing on the hard-surface indoor court, number one singles player Sally Roberts went down fighting, 7-5, 6-3. Number two Denise Thal then dropped a heartbreaker, losing a third set tiebreaker, 6-3, after splitting the first two, 6-4, 2-6.

Rita Runaro, at number three, put the racquetwomen back in the match by edging Rachel Banati, 6-4, 7-5.

At this point, however, the Tufts coach, hard-pressed by scheduling difficulties, insisted that the players move to the more spacious outdoor courts. By a strange coincidence Tufts then went on to sweep three of the remaining four wind-swept matches.

After losing the first set 6-0, number four Katie Ditzler ferociously battled a 5-0 deficit in the second, but finally lost it, 7-6.

Meanwhile, teammate Patty Ween played the strongest Radcliffe game, crushing her opponent, 6-1, 6-2.

Sealing Victory

In doubles play, Tufts sealed its victory by sailing past Elizabeth St. Goar and Beth Craig, 7-5, 6-2. The icing on the cake came with a three-set loss by Terry Clarke and Janet Clark, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.

Yet the outlook for the 'Cliffe still seems bright to Coach Corey Wynn, who said yesterday the loss has merely rounded out what has so far been a successful season. Commenting on the racquetwomen's 4-2 record, Wynn expressed confidence in the team's overall potential. "The desire and the enthusiasm are there: this year's team is a very talented group," he said.

"During the fall season we emphasize the technical aspects of the game," Wynn added. "By the time the spring season is here we should be in pretty good shape."