After a host of victorious matches for the Georgetown women’s tennis team (7-8, Big East 1-2), its six-match winning streak was ended Friday by the James Madison Dukes (9-3) in a 4-3 decision.
“We beat Richmond in the same way that James Madison beat us,” Head Coach Gordie Ernst said. Georgetown defeated Richmond 4-3 last week.
The Hoyas started off strong, playing six singles matches. Georgetown triumphed in the first, third and fourth slots. Freshman Victoire Saperstein impressed in her victory at first singles, defeating James Madison junior Taylor Pinchoff 6-2, 7-5. The win lifts Saperstein’s record in the number one spot to 5-2. Ernst praised Saperstein’s performances, especially since she is a freshman.
“Her maturity, her ability to find ways to win when she’s not playing her best, you know she’s a tennis player. There are a lot of people who play tennis, but that doesn’t mean that they’re a tennis player. She knows how to play,” Ernst said. “I just like the way she’s not getting rattled if she happens to play a couple of poor games. Sometimes freshmen do that. They get rattled when they’re not playing their best. She just keeps playing and she has a great disposition for tennis.”
Senior co-captain Madeline Jaeger added a point for the Hoyas in her third straight singles victory at number three singles in a 6-2, 6-4 result. Freshman Sophia Barnard swiftly took the fourth singles match in her 6-2, 6-2 straight-set win.
Junior Sophie Panarese lost at fifth singles in a 6-3, 7-6 decision. Sophomore Liselot Koenen put up a fight at sixth singles, pushing the match to three sets after losing the first set in a 6-3 result. She picked up the second set 6-3 but fell in the third. Senior co-captain Kelly Comolli’s match at second singles had a considerable tempo change, as she lost 6-3 in the first set but dominated in the second in a thorough 6-0 win. However, her opponent battled back and took the third set from Comolli 6-1.
“Kelly and Liselot both lost three-setters, they just didn’t play their best, and that happ ens,” Ernst said. “Kelly was a little sick, but she’s such a tough kid and she decided to play and I just don’t think she had the energy that she’s had in the past few weeks. Liselot played a girl who just pushed the ball, didn’t give her a lot of pace, and she struggled with her rhythm and that’s the way it goes sometimes”
With three points under their belt at the conclusion of singles play, the doubles point would determine the overall match winner.
James Madison overwhelmed Georgetown in all three doubles matchups. Koenen and sophomore Taylor Perz fell in the first doubles position with an 8-4 result, while Jaeger and Comolli fell in the second doubles slot 8-2. Saperstein and Panarese then lost 8-5.
Ernst attributes the inconsistency on the doubles side to the lack of a strong doubles player on the roster.
“We don’t have that real doubles player, per say. That’s why we just have to pull through and find a way to get better at playing. We’ve had some good doubles players in the past and that’s just not who we are right now,” Ernst said.
On Sunday, the men’s tennis team played an unexpected match. In a late addition to the Hoyas took on the Mary Washington Eagles (12-4) on Sunday.
Though Ernst expected a fight from the Eagles, the Hoyas only gave up a single match in their 6-1 rout of the Mary Washington squad. Junior Shane Korber and senior Casey Distaso’s absences because of injuries were barely felt, as the Hoyas’ depth shone through in the forms of freshmen Jordan Portner and Max Novak.
Though junior Alex Tropiano and freshman Jack Murphy fell at first doubles 9-7, junior John Brosens and Porter teamed up to triumph 9-7 at second doubles. Sophomore Daniel Khanin — named Big East Men’s Tennis Player of the Week — won at third doubles alongside Novak to capture the doubles point.
Georgetown’s sole loss came in the sixth singles slot, as Novak fell to Mary Washington freshman Brandon Griffin 6-3, 6-0. Khanin, Tropiano, Murphy, Brosens and Portner all won in their respective singles slots.
The win breaks the Hoyas’ five-match losing streak, a result that will help their momentum going into the remainder of the season. The men’s team will play in its first Big East match of the year against the Xavier Musketeers on April 4. The women will battle against the Seton Hall Pirates on the same day in their fourth conference match of the year.
