Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Hoyas Open 2-2 at VCU

Georgetown’s fortunes bounced back and forth like a heated volley at this weekend’s 4+1 tournament at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Hoyas went 2-2 for the weekend, but built up their experience in the season-opening tournament.

“I’m very happy about our result,” Georgetown Head Coach Gordie Ernst said. “We played a very tough schedule against four scholarship programs. Everyone was there for one purpose – to get matches.”

The Hoyas opened strong, walking all over the Fighting Camels of Campbell on Friday. Sophomore Adam Gross and freshman Anthony Tan easily won their singles matches by scores of 6-1, 6-1 and 6-0, 6-1, respectively.

Georgetown’s doubles team of junior Ted Tywang and freshman David Tillem won the first of its two matches over the weekend, defeating Campbell’s duo 6-3, 1-6, 7-6. The Hoyas’ only loss came at the No. 1 singles spot, when the Camel junior Gabriel Delarue defeated junior Jeff Schnell 6-1, 2-6, 6-1.

In their second Friday contest, against East Carolina, the Hoyas looked less impressive. Although Georgetown lost all four of the singles matches, Lowell was impressive playing in the No. 1 singles spot. He fell to the Pirates’ top player, sophomore Aleksey Kochetov, 7-5, 6-3. In what emerged as a theme of the weekend, the doubles team turned in solid results as Schnell and sophomore Kevin Walsh cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory – the only Hoya win of the contest.

“Doubles is something I’ve been harping on and it’s something the guys have worked a lot on. To win three out of four doubles points [for the tournament] is huge,” Ernst said.

In the first contest Sunday, Georgetown fell to East Tennessee State 5-0. The Buccaneers swept all 10 games of the four singles matches and one doubles match.

In the final contest of the tournament on Sunday afternoon, Georgetown won a hard-fought contest over Richmond – the final 3-0 score belying how close the contest was.

Schnell was tied 2-2 and Tan had a slim 3-2 lead in the third game of their respective matches when Lowell ended the tournament in style for the Hoyas, defeating sophomore Doug Banker 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Lowell’s No. 2 singles win clinched Georgetown their first win over Richmond in four years.

Tywang and Tillem recorded their second doubles victory of the tournament, and Gross won his second singles match of the weekend to give the Hoyas a 2-0 lead. The remaining three singles matches went to their third and deciding game.

Ernst praised his team’s performance, but said he was looking ahead to the start of the dual-match season. “I don’t want the guys to rest on their laurels,” he said.

The Hoyas play their first dual match Feb. 2 against Maryland at the Tennis Center in College Park, Md. The match is set for 3 p.m.

“We start with a tough, full-scholarship team in Maryland, and then we play at Navy the next day, so we’re getting thrown right into the fire,” Ernst said.

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