The men’s and women’s tennis teams both worked overtime this weekend, playing a total of five matches. The men were up at Yale while the women played at home. The weekend proved tough for the Hoyas, however, as both teams lost each of their matches.
The women’s home campaign opened up Friday with matches against the nationally-ranked California (Pa.). After quickly dropping the first doubles match, the women rebounded with sophomore captain Alex Sebia and freshman Aileen Shea taking the second match 8-4. The freshman duo of Michelle Brown and Jacquie Harrison grinded out a tough 8-6 win to put the Hoyas up 1-0. With the doubles point secured, the Hoyas looked to maintain their momentum but were unable to. The veteran squad from California (Pa.) proved too much for the young Georgetown lineup, as they dropped the first four singles matches, effectively losing the match. Undeterred, Harrison and Sebia continued to fight on, each capturing their matches in a third set super tiebreak.
On Saturday the women took the court to play regional rival James Madison University. Again, the Hoyas dropped the first doubles match but stormed back to take the doubles point. Displaying the talent and experience that brought her an 11-match win streak last year, Sebia and her partner Shea were able to save a match point at 7-5, and won the next four games to take their match, and the point, 9-7. But, exactly as the script played out the day before, the Hoyas were unable to exploit their lead, dropping five matches. Sophomore Maxi Thiels was able to secure the only singles point for the Hoyas with a dominating 6-4, 6-1 performance.
The men once again faced a nationally competitive opponent and played strong, but they were still unable to come away with a win. Opening the weekend on Saturday, the men played against Stony Brook and were unable to exploit their chances, as they fell 5-2. They next played Yale, of whom Head Coach Gordie Ernst said, “[They were] the best team [we] played this weekend.” The Hoyas fell 6-0 to Yale and followed that with a 5-1 Sunday loss to USC-Upstate. The matches were not without highlights though, as junior Dave Tillem was able to win two of his matches at No. 2 singles and pushed all-Ivy Leaguer Michael Caldwell to three sets.
Coach Ernst noted that while they may have lost, the weekend was not in any way a waste. He was especially impressed by the “way [they] played with more fight against USC-Upstate.”
“[It is] a positive for [us] moving forward, knowing that [we] have to put forth a concentrated effort every time,” Ernst said. He also thought that it was a great learning experience for his freshmen.
“[It will] pay off for [us] once they get outside in March and play teams in these conditions,” Ernst said.
The women return to the court on Wednesday when they take on cross-town rivals The George Washington University. The men have an off week before heading down to Chapel Hill to take on UNC.
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