The Radcliffe tennis team got some stiff competition during its Southern trip this past week in preparation for what should be a more successful season by comparison.

The squad played five matches during the week and won only two of them.

The racquetwomen opened with a tough 4-3 loss to the Country Club of Virginia, as bad weather forced them to play the match indoors. Two days later the weather improved but the sun didn't shine on Radcliffe, as Westwood Country Club pasted the squad 6-3.

Coach Corey Wynn's team got briefly back on track the following day, edging Virginia Tech 4-3, then reverted to its country club ways on Friday with a defeat at the hands of a powerful squad from Davidson, 6-3.

Luckily, on Saturday the women in white ended their trip in impressive style, topping the University of North Carolina at Greensboro 5-4 and heading back north in a winning frame of mind.

Radcliffe was supposed to play six matches, but the scheduled contest with Mary Baldwin College had to be called off twice, once because of rain, the other time because of snow.

Coach Wynn, who could find the bright side to a tidal wave, was nonetheless impressed with some strong individual performances amidst his team's sub-.500 slate. Freshman Katie Ditzler and patty Wen were the standouts in singles play, both racking up 4-1 records during the trip.

"I was particularly concerned with our doubles teams before we left, but I thought they all played well and improved during the course of the trip," Wynn said. The number one tandem of Captain Denise Thal and Sally Roberts split their four doubles matches, while the second duo of Ditzler and Wen went 3-1.

Wynn and his charges, along with the addition of Diana Olney, Rita Funaro, and Terry Clarke, will face their toughest competition of the season in their opening match against Yale on April 16.