The Georgetown University women’s tennis team (5-10) returned to Washington, D.C., last weekend with a win over Seton Hall (6-6) on March 16 to level their Big East record at 1-1.

Dropping just one singles match to go 6-1 on the day, the Hoyas started strong with dominant performances from the first doubles team of seniors Morgan Coburn and Olivia Ashton and the second doubles team of graduate student Chloe Bendetti and first-year Katie Garofolo-Ro, with set wins of 6-2 and 7-5, respectively. In addition, four of the five singles matches were decided in straight sets, with the Hoyas’ only match loss coming in a tight third set tiebreaker.

Senior Avantika Willy said the team’s grit proved key in earning a key win over a conference opponent.

“It definitely feels good to get a win against a Big East team, as these are the matches that are of ‘higher stakes’ for our team,” Willy wrote to The Hoya. “Our team energy really pulled us through this match, I felt that every person on each court was able to dig in and get us a win across the board.” 

“The energy was high from the first point of doubles and continued until the end of singles which was great,” Willy added.

The third doubles duo of first-year Emily Novikov and sophomore Paige Gilbert also tied 6-6.

Willy said such wins are the result of intense practices, where coaches use creative strategies to prepare the team for each match.

“Our coaches have definitely upped the intensity in practice and we have started to do more off-court stuff like watching film and doing recovery stuff which is super helpful for our games,” Willy wrote. 

Three of the six singles matches saw the Hoyas drop just four games. At first singles, Bendetti wrapped up a clean 6-3, 6-1 win over the Pirates’ Imogen Brooker, while Willy won 6-2, 6-2 against Anastasia Sereda on line two. Gilbert notched another win for the Hoyas in the sixth singles position, handily dispatching Aili Hietala 6-1, 6-3.

In Seton Hall’s lone win, the Hoyas’ Garofolo-Ro fell 10-7 in a close third set tiebreaker to the Pirates’ Aina Plana Ventosa, who is undefeated on the season, at the third singles position. Georgetown sophomore Ashley Kennedy and Coburn secured straight-sets victories on lines four and five to round out the win.

Willy said that victories like this over Seton Hall are part of a broader effort to prepare the Hoyas for the postseason.

“We are really starting to focus on our end goal of the Big East Tournament and doing everything we can now to give us the best chance when we are there,” Willy wrote.

The Hoyas will travel again this weekend, heading to Chicago to face DePaul on Friday, March 22 before a showdown against Marquette in Milwaukee, Wis. the following day.