This weekend, the women’s tennis team will travel to Lehigh to try to regain its form following a tight loss to Syracuse in its first Big East match last weekend.
Although the Hoyas won several matches against the Orange, they fell just short of earning the program’s first win against their archrivals from New York in over three decades. In singles, graduate student Stephanie Wetmore won the Blue and Gray’s only match. In doubles, Georgetown won two of three, with Wetmore and junior Lauren Greco claiming one victory, and sophomore Vicky Sekely and freshman Tina Tehrani earning the other.
Lehigh has yet to begin conference play and will have played only one match (against Rutgers) before the Mountain Hawks face off against the Hoyas this weekend. However, Lehigh should not be underestimated; it will likely be looking for redemption after a lackluster 4-14 season last year in which they failed to reach the Patriot League semifinals for the first time since 2004.
The Hoyas are led by several skilled veterans, including Wetmore, Greco and senior Alex Sebia. Wetmore has already shown an ability to secure important wins for the Blue and Gray, most recently evidenced by her victory over Syracuse’s Alessondra Parra last weekend. In addition, several younger Georgetown players will be relied upon this weekend, such as freshmen Tehrani and Madeline Jaeger, who both played last weekend against Syracuse.
On the other side of the court, Lehigh senior Kiera Murasko-Blank will lead the Mountain Hawks. Throughout her collegiate career, Murasko-Blank has been a dominant force in both singles and doubles, which will make this weekend’s road trip more challenging for the Hoyas. Junior Liz Piscitelli, who is well on her way to becoming one of the greatest singles players in Mountain Hawk history, also poses a serious threat.
Following last weekend’s close loss, this weekend is all the more important for the Hoyas. A win would put Georgetown back on track for a Big East tournament spot — something that just barely evaded the team’s grasp last season.
