Georgetown’s men’s and women’s tennis teams will be busy in the next several days, as they take opponents that include a squad that has yet to lose a match.
After dropping a close match to Big East foe Rutgers, the women’s team (4-3, 1-1 Big East) will travel to Florida for the first weekend of Georgetown’s spring break. The Hoyas will take on Nova Southeastern on Sunday in Davie, Fl. and Lynn University (9-0), ranked No. 3 in Division II, on Tuesday in Boca Raton.
In the match against the Scarlet Knights, the No. 1 doubles pair of senior Lauren Greco and sophomore Madeline Jaeger and No. 2 team of junior Vicky Sekely and sophomore Tina Tehrani won their matches to clinch the double point for the Blue and Gray.
In singles, Greco and Jaeger picked up points at No. 1 and No. 5 singles, respectively. However, the Hoyas dropped the other four singles matches to lose the match 4-3.
“It’s just the way it goes. The Rutgers match was at the exact same time as the Navy match and I was with the boys. Obviously, it would be better to win both [the men’s and the women’s] matches, but I couldn’t be prouder of both teams,” Head Coach Gordie Ernst said.
And after facing such a struggle against Rutgers, the women will have to brace themselves for an even tougher contest against Lynn.
“I booked this match to get them [the women’s team] ready for University of South Florida next week,” Ernst said. “It’s going to be a challenge.”
While Georgetown’s women are looking to rebound, the men’s team (7-14, 2-1 Big East) is hoping to keep their momentum rolling.
Coming off a close victory over Navy, the Hoyas will take on Lehigh (6-3) Saturday. In a suspense-filled contest, sophomore Andrew Dottino clinched the win over the Midshipmen.
The No. 2 doubles team of Dottino and freshman Alex Tropiano and the No. 3 pair of freshman John Brosens and sophomore Casey Distaso helped the Blue and Gray win the doubles point. Senior Andrew Bruhn and junior Charlie Caris won at No.1 and No. 2 singles, respectively.
The Hoyas then dropped three singles matches, leaving Dottino to battle at No. 4 singles. Despite the pressure, Dottino held on for a three-set win after losing the first set in a tiebreaker.
The Blue and Gray hope the momentum from the win over Navy will carry over when they face the Mountain Hawks, in a match played just across the river in Alexandria, Va.
“The guys are super confident right now. When you win a match like that it boosts the whole team,” Ernst said. “[Dottino] was down six match points, but he fought for the win.”
However, Georgetown will face a Lehigh team looking to break a slump. The Mountain Hawks started the season with a six-game win streak, but dropped their last two matches to Stony Brook and Binghamton.
Despite long odds —particularly against Lynn — the Hoyas are hoping to push their season forward with successes this weekend and early next week. The men’s match is Saturday at 4 p.m. in Alexandria. The women play Sunday at 2 p.m. and Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in Davie and Boca Raton, Fla., respectively.
