The depleted Hoyas tennis teams both faced a tough schedule and came up short against national competition this weekend with the men taking on North Carolina and Brown and the women playing Pittsburgh and Charleston.

Head Coach Gordie Ernst originally structured the schedules of both teams in order to have “them ready for Big East.” He had hoped that matches against nationally ranked programs like the No. 22 Tar Heels would pay dividends come March.

“All of the top players need to be healthy – without that [the schedule] is going to be very difficult,” Ernst said.

Unfortunately for Coach Ernst and the Hoyas, that isn’t the case right now. The men have lost freshmen Mieszko Tomcyzk and Michael Clarke, junior Will Lowell, and doubles specialist, senior Kevin Walsh, to a variety of injuries.

That aside, the Hoyas put up a tremendous fight against the Tar Heels. The Hoyas were swept off the court in doubles, mustering only four games over the three matches. While they were unable to secure any of the singles matches, Clarke and senior Ken Wong fought hard and lost their first sets by razor-thin margins of 7-5 each. Effort was not enough however, as the Hoyas were outclassed by a Tar Heel lineup that included two top-50 players.

The Hoyas continued their campaign at home on Sunday against rival Brown.

“[They are] one of the toughest teams in the Ivy League,” Ernst said of Brown.

Once again, the Hoyas quickly lost the doubles point, and the match turned south from there. Junior Dave Tillem put in a solid effort, playing his first full weekend at the number-one position, losing 6-3, 6-4. Andrew Bruhn also kept his match close at the number-two position. Although he lost, Coach Ernst was proud of Bruhn’s performance, which he called “his best match of the year.”

The women suffered a similar fate as the men, as they took on Charleston and Pittsburgh at home at the Army-Navy Country Club on Friday and Saturday. The weekend was not without note as Jackie Harrison had what Coach Ernst described as a “coming-out weekend” in which she managed to “show incredible toughness” in winning three of her four matches, despite a number of questionable line calls and a severe thigh injury.

Like the men, the women are recovering from injuries as well. Michelle Brown, arguably the strongest player for the women, has been battling a shoulder and lower-arm injury that has clearly hindered her play. Serving without any wind-up, she was unable to produce the sheer power and artistry that has become the hallmark of her game, as she lost both of her matches this weekend.

Senior Briana Kearney played her first match after two wrist surgeries and a year off from tennis and combined with partner Harrison to win their doubles match in a tiebreaker 7-5. Sophomore captain Alexa Sebia was also able to notch a win, but fell to Pitt’s Adela Aprodu.

The men play next week at home against University of Maryland-Baltimore County and James Madison University, while the women return to the court on Friday at Johns Hopkins.

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