With the men's tennis team opening its season with an 8-1 rout of Bentley University last Wednesday and the women's tennis team getting strong individual performances at the Division III Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships last Sunday, Brandeis tennis seems to be headed in the right direction.On the women's side, the Judges had three players competing for the title in the singles championship bracket. Rachel Rosman '11 was the highest-ranked Judge, coming into the tournament ranked in the top 16 out of 64 competitors. In her first-round match, Rosman easily defeated opponent senior Jennifer Ouyang of Amherst College 6-2, 6-1. In round two, Rosman continued her brilliant play, taking care of sophomore Rebecca Stone of Babson College in straight sets 6-3, 6-1.

In round three, she faced Tufts University senior Meghan McCooey, who was ranked No. 6 in the region. Control of the ball switched back and forth, but McCooey came out on top in the end, winning the match 4-6, 6-4, 10-7. McCooey would later team up with the singles' runner-up, teammate junior Julia Browne, to defeat Rosman and Mackenzie Gallegos '11 in the first round of the doubles championship bracket as well.

Coach Ben Lamanna said he was very impressed with Rosman's play despite her third-round defeat in singles.

"It was a step in the right direction," Lamanna said. "She has improved a lot. Her backhand is a big weapon."

Lamanna also commented on her aggression on the court and the trust, she has in herself and in her game. "She's in the process, but she's in good shape."

In other singles action, captain Ariana Sanai '10 had a tough first-round draw, playing No. 7 Victoria Aiello, a sophomore from Middlebury College. Sanai played a strong match but fell 6-1, 6-3. Rookie Faith Broderick '13 was the third Judge to compete in the singles bracket and lost in the first round to Amherst senior Jill Wexler, another top-16 player.

While Broderick dropped her first match in the singles championship bracket, she made some noise in the consolation bracket by winning two matches and advancing to the third round. In her first consolation match, she faced senior Mohona Siddique of Wellesley College and won 7-6, 6-7, 10-7. In her next match, she won 6-1, 6-0 over rookie Sabrina Salmela of Simmons College. In her third-round match, facing rookie Britanny Faber of Middlebury, Broderick played strongly but lost 6-3, 6-3.

Broderick also picked up a win in the doubles championship bracket with partner Sarah Richman '12, defeating junior Rebecca Heupel and rookie Cassie Smith of Connecticut College 8-1.

Broderick noted that being a rookie has helped her game this season.

"I'm so new on the college tennis scene," she said. "I feel like I don't have that much pressure on me right now, so I am able to play very relaxed."

Lamanna praised Broderick's play thus far. "She's got a great future," Lamanna said. "She keeps working hard, and stays humble and is beginning to understand how to construct matches."

For the men's team, the squad opened the season at Bentley with five new members in the starting lineup and defeated its crosstown rival 8-1.

In doubles action, the No. 1 pairing of Simon Miller '11 and Steven Nieman '11 won 9-7. At No. 2 doubles, Fred Rozenshteyn '13 played in his first collegiate match and paired with Mike Tatarsky '12 to beat their Bentley opponents 8-4. At No. 3 doubles, Dave Yovanoff '13 and Ezra Bernstein '11, a transfer student from the University at Buffalo, won 8-5.

Rozenshteyn felt that he has been playing well, attributing his success to the support of his teammates.

"You have all these experienced players, and you are out there always looking up to people," he said.

In singles action, the Judges won all but the first singles match.

The women's team will next compete at Bentley on Thursday, while the men prepare for the Division III ITA Regional Championships starting on Friday.