Scots at John Carroll Thursday in Lone Action

Eden Kovacik

With a highly challenging schedule, which included two NCAA Div. II teams and two NAIA programs over its first five matches, behind it, The College of Wooster looks to get in the win column now that it gets into North Coast Athletic Conference and regional competition. This week, the Fighting Scots’ lone match will be a non-league affair Thursday, March 27, at John Carroll University (2-6) at 4 p.m. The teams did not meet last year, but in 2006, John Carroll beat Wooster 8-1.

Spring Break Recap: The Scots played four matches during their annual swing (March 16-20) to Hilton Head, S.C., suffering setbacks in all four to slip to 0-5 on the season. Wooster lost to NCAA Div. II Shepherd University and Div. III Centre College by 9-0 counts, and then saw the same fate versus NAIA’s Tiffin University and Spring Arbor University. The Scots’ five opponents this season currently own a combined record of 52-25.

Against Shepherd, freshman Suzanne Hamby (Elmhurst, Ill. / York Community) pushed her opponent at fourth singles before succumbing 6-0, 6-4, while highlighting the Scots’ results versus Centre were sophomore Elissa Lauber (Dover, Ohio / Dover) and classmate Eden Kovacik (North Olmsted, Ohio / St. Joseph Academy). Lauber went to a second-set tiebreaker before losing 6-0, 7-6 (7-3) at No. 1 singles and Kovacik split the first two sets at fifth singles before dropping a third-set super tiebreaker (6-2, 5-7, 10-8). Kovacik also narrowly lost against Tiffin at that position, falling 7-6 (10-8), 7-5, while Lauber won six games versus both Tiffin’s (6-4, 6-2) and Spring Arbor’s (6-4, 6-2) top players. Junior Meredith Gavin (Rock Creek, Ohio / Saints John & Paul) fell by an identical score (6-4, 6-2) at No. 6 against Spring Arbor.