Ochs successful in first season

A 24-match win streak, a singles record of 24-1 and a doubles record of 20-5 isn't a bad season for any tennis player, but it's an even better one considering Amy Ochs is a freshman.

"I have loved [my first season of college tennis]," Ochs said. "The team has been absolutely amazing - I couldn't ask for a better team. I think playing with such great players on the team has really improved my game. Before, I haven't really been surrounded by so many great tennis players."

Head coach Pete Kendall had nothing but praise for Ochs.

"I don't know how [her freshman season] could have been any better," Kendall said. "She's now tied for the best record on the team, with [junior] Lindsy [Blair]. She also had a very good doubles year with [senior Jennifer] Salmon."

Ochs' rookie season helped push the women to their first 20-win season ever. Ochs dominated playing in the No. 5 singles hole. After overcoming a sprained ankle that kept her out of the first two matches of the 2007-08 season, Ochs went on to win 24 straight matches between the fall and spring seasons. Only twice during the course of the year did Ochs split sets with an opponent before winning the tie-breaker, and in only five matches did she allow an opponent to win more than four games against her.

So far Kendall has resisted the urge to move Ochs up in the lineup from the No. 5 singles.

"We left her [in the No. 5 spot], and no one else in the conference seemed to have a problem with it," Kendall said. "Nobody challenged that. We thought they might challenge that because they could have. Once things got going, though, we just decided to leave things the way it was."

In doubles, she had been equally impressive. After playing only two matches in the No. 3 slot, she was moved up to the No. 2 position to play with Salmon for the rest of the season. Ochs and her doubles partners began the fall season with a seven-match win streak, and Ochs and Salmon put up four- and five-match win streaks later in the season. Ochs ended the regular season with a doubles record of 20-5.

"I really, really enjoy playing with Amy," Salmon said. "She's a great player. She's really fun to play with. She's very reliable. I know she's always going to hit the ball in and try and get me a winner, set me up to hit a winner or all of the above. Every time we get out on the court, she gets down to business. I wish we had more time to play together, but unfortunately I'm graduating."

Ochs has a aggressive style of play - she hits the ball hard and is consistent in all of her strokes. She is fast around the courts and is not afraid to play the net. Kendall described Ochs' forehand as "a weapon."

"Our styles of play match up extremely well," Salmon said of her doubles partner. "She's got a really, really good forehand, and my backhand is my strength. It allows us to both use our weapons. She's also got a really great serve, and she sets me up a lot at the net to put balls away. I try and do the same for her."

Ochs has been playing tennis since the summer she turned 11 when she attended a summer camp run by her future high school coach. Since age 13, she has been training under Kendall, attending his summer clinics. She has worked this year to improve some of the finer aspects of her game.

"I've always been one to go for winners and try to end the point really soon, which isn't always the best," Ochs said. "When I was younger I used to be really, really inconsistent, and I've been working on that a lot, trying to wait for the right shot to hit a winner on. It's what my coaches have been trying to drill into me. I guess I'm not the most patient tennis player, I guess is the way you could put it. ... [This year] I think my shot selection has really improved, learning when to hit certain shots."

Kendall said Blair was the first player who came to mind who had a freshman season that would compare to Ochs'. He cited Blair's 2005 freshman season, when she finished 26-3 in singles and 17-8 in doubles. Blair currently is the 'Dogs No. 2 singles player and is on the No. 1 doubles team.

Kendall said he is sure Ochs will have a promising future with the Bulldogs.

"She is going to continue to have a great career here no matter what number she plays, singles or doubles," Kendall said. "We would certainly anticipate her playing higher in the lineup next year."