Junior Sophie Barnard won at the number two singles slot against St. Francis junior Brittany Plaszewski in a 6-2, 6-1 finish in Georgetown’s sweeping 5-0 victory Saturday.
Although early rain forced the teams to towel down the courts at Georgetown Visitation before their Saturday matches against the St. Francis men’s (9-6, 1-0 Northeast Conference) and women’s (4-11, 1-0 Northeast Conference) tennis teams could commence, both Georgetown’s men’s (6-7, 1-1 Big East) and women’s (9-4, 1-3 Big East) tennis teams ultimately defeated the Red Flash in decisive fashions.
This is the second time this season that both Hoya squads have competed against two teams from the same program after both Georgetown teams competed against George Mason on March 16.
The men’s team downed St. Francis in a 6-1 finish, losing the doubles point to begin and sweeping singles play later in the match. All three doubles matches had 6-4 finishes, with Georgetown notching a win in the second doubles spot courtesy of junior Yannik Mahlangu and sophomore Peter Beatty. Junior Jordan Portner and freshman Michael Chen lost at first doubles, while junior duo Jack Murphy and Ryan McElvenny fell in the third doubles slot.
Senior Daniel Khanin defeated his opponent in the first singles spot with a 7-5, 6-4 finish. Chen, freshman Will Sharton, Mahlangu and sophomore Mac Rechnan all won their singles matches, also in straight sets. Beatty won his match in the second singles slot in a tight three-set battle, ultimately defeating St. Francis sophomore Alec Dylan Foo-Kune 6-4, 5-7, 10-6.
“The guys’ match was tough,” Head Coach Gordie Ernst said. “Peter Beatty, who’s won so much for us, he could have gone either way. … Danny won a tight one, especially in the first set, and then we lost the doubles point. So, as predicted, that was a good, tough match for us.”
Meanwhile, the women’s team swept St. Francis 5-0. Because the matches were postponed, the women’s side elected to play four singles matches and a doubles match in lieu of the traditional six singles matches and three doubles matches.
Doubles play saw juniors Margaret Psyhogeos and Madeline Foley play a competitive doubles match resulting in a 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 finish. The three-setter finished with a tough 10-point tiebreak, which put Georgetown on the scoreboard first.
Ernst said he was pleased with Psyhogeos and Foley’s play, noting how significant the juniors are on the team’s roster.
“That was great because Maggie and Maddie are two juniors who have been with the team now for three years, and they’re so important to the team – their character, their personalities; they’re such team kids.”
Singles play saw all four Hoyas win in straight sets. Junior Sophie Barnard finished her match first, defeating St. Francis junior Brittany Plaszewski in a 6-2, 6-1 win.
“She was a good player, but her game style matched up pretty well with mine, so I felt pretty comfortable playing her,” Barnard said of her opponent.
Junior captain Victoire Saperstein finished next, winning 6-4, 6-0. Sophomores Casey Marx and Daphne de Chatellus won their singles matches as well. Marx defeated her opponent decisively, capturing a 6-2, 6-3 win.
De Chatellus gave up one game in the first set but had to fight for the second set. De Chatellus won her match after she defeated St. Francis senior Dani Gryckiewicz in a tiebreak with a score of 7-5.
Ernst credited the team’s determination early on to setting the tone for the match and proving its strength as a program.
“When they have a match, they’ll be up early thinking about that match and wanting to play and wanting to compete. When you’re a coach, it’s just such a great feeling to know that your team is sitting there ready to go. Our girls are so excited, and we played really well,” Ernst said.
With the Big East tournament at the end of April, both Georgetown teams are using these late-season matches as opportunities to prep for competitive conference play.
“We’re really towards the end here; we have only a few matches until we get to the Big East, which is obviously the most important weekend for us, so every match is kind of a prep for that to get our confidence on the court and in competition,” Barnard said.
The men’s team will play against Richmond (12-10, 3-2 Atlantic Ten) this Saturday in Richmond, Va. in an effort to bring the Hoyas’ regular season record to an even .500. Meanwhile, the women’s team will have a brief break from play before it competes against George Washington (5-10, 1-3 Atlantic Ten) on April 10.
