The women's tennis team started out the 2011-2012 season on a high note, sweeping visiting Simmons College 9-0 last Tuesday. The Judges did not drop a set, including four 6-0 sets in singles competition. The men's team did not fare as well, winning only one main-draw match and 10 total matches at the Middlebury Invitational last weekend.

The women's team started play against the Sharks by sweeping all three doubles matches. First singles Carley Cooke '15 then made her collegiate debut in singles, taking a 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 victory over Simmons sophomore Margaret Teague. Cooke trailed 5-2 in the first set before rallying back to win 11 of the last 12 games of the match.

"[Cooke] played great," said coach Ben Lammana. "She was down early, but she closed out a really good match."

Allyson Bernstein '14 won her first set of second singles 7-5 before her opponent retired because of a hurt ankle. She also teamed with third singles player Roberta Bergstein '14 to defeat Simmons' freshman Nicole Eskenazi and junior Sabrina Salmela 8-4 in second doubles.

"It was our first match together," said Bernstein of her doubles match with Bergstein. "We had only practiced a couple of times together. But I think it was a pretty solid doubles game. We started off consistent, got into a few rallies, and closed off more balls as the match went on."

Bergstein defeated her opponent, Simmons sophomore Allison Bodek, 6-4, 7-5 in the tightest match of the day in third singles. Nina Levine '11, the team's captain, won her match in fourth singles 6-4, 6-1. She also teamed with Cooke to win the number one doubles match, 8-4.

"[Levine] showed great leadership in both singles and doubles," said Lamanna. "She did a tremendous job with Carley to help start off the competition strong."

The bottom of the Judges' lineup looked particularly good, as Alexa Katz '14 and Marissa Lazar '14 lost just three games between them in both singles and doubles competition. Katz won her singles match 6-0, 6-0 and Lazar took both sets 6-0, 6-2. They won their doubles match 8-1. The two sophomores were named the University Athletic Association athletes of the week in women's tennis for their effort.

"This match was a great warm-up for the girls," said Coach Lamanna. "It was a very important learning moment for them. I felt good about it."

The men's team had a rough start to the season, kicking off their campaign at a traditionally difficult meet.

"It was a tough tournament," said Lamanna. "All five of the teams were nationally ranked. We have a young team this year; we graduated a bunch of guys last year."

Matthew Zuckerman '14 won the Judges' only main-draw match 6-4, 7-5. He lost his next two matches 6-1, 6-4 and 6-1, 6-3.

In A singles, Steven Milo '13 lost his first match 6-0, 6-1. His second opponent retired, and Milo defeated his third opponent 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 10-2. David Yovanoff '13, the other Judges A singles player, lost his first match 6-2, 6-4 and his second match 6-1, 6-0 before defeating his third opponent 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4).

"This whole tournament was a bunch of losses for our guys," Lamanna said. "It was tough."

Adam Brown '14 was the only other Brandeis player to win two matches. Competing in C singles, he lost his first match 6-0, 6-3. He lost the first set of his second match before pulling away, ultimately defeating Ithaca College freshman Ryan Zuckerman 4-6, 6-0, 10-4. He defeated Skidmore College sophomore Gabe Steerman 6-2, 6-4 to complete his impressive rebound.

No other Brandeis athlete won more than one match. The team won two matches in A doubles but failed to take a match in B doubles.

"We played OK," said Lamanna, "but this competition was a wake-up call for us."

Both squads' next competition is the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Tournament. The men begin play on Thursday, while the women's competition begins Sept. 30.