By Andrea Sidlauskas

Last spring, senior Kalla Schaefer and sophomore Alexandra Bayliss made Warhawks tennis program history, making it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division-III Women’s Tennis Championship before falling short.
Schaefer graduated, but Bayliss remains, along with new teammate, senior Sydney Divelbiss, and the two have been successful all year.
Schaefer and Bayliss went 25-12 as a doubles team last year, while Bayliss and Divelbiss are 19-6, riding a four-match win streak into the NCAA tournament.
Divelbiss knew replacing Schaefer would not be easy, but she has been prepared to try her best all season.
“It is definitely a hard position to fill, but all season my focus has been to fill the shoes of Kalla Schaefer,” Divelbiss said.  “I have been lucky to play with Alexandra, she has been down the road of success in doubles play, and I can only hope for the best for us the rest of the season.”
Due to a few crucial losses earlier in the season, Bayliss and Divelbiss are unlikely to have a chance to repeat what Bayliss and Schaefer did at Nationals last season.
But with the tournament experience of Bayliss and the senior experience of Divelbiss, the ’Hawks have a chance to do well at the NCAA tournament.
“All the experience helps for sure,” Bayliss said.  “We will probably make team Nationals, and we will face some tough competition there.  Playing tough matches and being there already helps.”
Divelbiss and Bayliss were confident heading into the weekend, and they have every reason to remain confident heading into further post-season play.
“As a doubles team, we have really good chemistry, we talk a lot on the court and kind of feel where each other are going,” Divelbiss said.
“With our experience, her being a junior and this my final year, that has really helped us with the success we have had so far.  A lot of the teams we play are tough, but I think we are both mentally and physically tough.”
Bayliss and Divelbiss look to continue their success on May 10 when the first round of the NCAA tournament begins.