OBERLIN, Ohio - In sports, it is often said that it is very difficult to beat an opponent three times in one season. Chalk one up for tradition as the Wittenberg Tigers dropped a heartbreaking 5-4 decision to Ohio Wesleyan in the final match of the 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament, hosted by Oberlin.
The loss gave Ohio Wesleyan fifth place in the competition, while the Tigers slipped to sixth. During the regular season, Wittenberg had defeated OWU twice - once in the fall and once in the spring - to secure the No. 5 seed in the conference tourney. The Tigers finished the season with a 10-7 overall record.
Just as it was in a first round loss to fourth-seeded Oberlin, doubles play was critical to the Tigers' success. or lack thereof. The Battling Bishops pull out two of the three doubles points, including a 9-7 decision at the No. 1 spot, to take an early lead. That stood up thanks to a three-set win at No. 5 singles.
The lone double-winner for the Tigers was freshman Elizabeth Micheletti (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West), who won at No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles with juniorAllison Earhart (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown). Other singles winners included freshman Jayne Miely (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) at No. 2 and junior Kat Sundstrom (Trafalgar, Ind./North Central) at No. 3.