The thunder and lightning of a spring shower clouded what was shaping up to be a bright day for Georgetown tennis against Howard on Thursday.
On the men’s side, the Hoyas held a 2-0 advantage over the Bison, while the Georgetown women were up 3-0 before the matches between the cross-town rivals at the McDonough Tennis Complex were suspended due to rain.
“Another hour and we would have won both the matches,” Georgetown Head Coach Gordie Ernst said.
A makeup date has not been set, and with only a week remaining before the Big East tournament, the match may not be completed.
Against Howard, the Hoya men (12-7, 3-1 Big East) were looking for their third straight victory, after wins over Villanova and Longwood, and their sixth win in their last seven matches.
The Hoyas downed the Wildcats 7-0 on Thursday, though the final score did not reflect the close dual match. Villanova (5-10, 2-1) took one of the doubles matches, and three of the singles matches went to three sets.
“Villanova is a team that is about our level,” Ernst said. “We beat them all the way through the lineup.”
Georgetown returned to the comforts of home to edge out Longwood (9-7) the following day in a close 4-3 match.
The Lancers won the doubles point and two quick singles matches to take a 3-2 lead over the Hoyas with only the No. 3 and No. 4 singles matches remaining.
Freshman Will Lowell and sophomore Adam Gross, both in must-win positions, took their matches by scores of 6-1, 7-5 and 6-2, 7-6(1), respectively.
“The key to the [victory over Longwood] was the total fight from Adam and Will. They both lifted each other’s games,” Ernst said.
Georgetown travels to No. 20 Clemson Sunday morning for a final tune-up before the Big East tournament. The Hoyas likely will continue to benefit from freshman David Tillem’s return to the lineup – Thursday against Howard was Tillem’s first match in six weeks after recovering from a broken wrist.
Ernst said he expects a No. 6 seed and a first-round matchup against DePaul or South Florida in the tournament, which begins next Thursday at the University of South Florida.
The Hoya women (3-16, 0-6 Big East) could have used the win against Howard, as they are currently riding a five-game skid. Most recently, Georgetown was swept away 7-0 by both Longwood and West Virginia.
Last Friday, the Lancers (10-6) overpowered the Hoyas, taking all three doubles matches and four singles matches in straight sets.
“[Longwood] just outran us, and they played good defense, too,” Ernst said.
Lindsay Anderson/The Hoya
In what has become a recurring theme, Georgetown dropped another Big East contest this Tuesday against West Virginia (11-10, 5-1).
Juniors Stephanie Cohen and Courtney Olsen were the lone victors, taking their seventh doubles match of the spring at No. 2 doubles. Cohen nearly won her singles match as well, but fell in the third set of a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 match. The rest of the singles matches went to the Mountaineers in straight sets.
As Georgetown gears up for its final two matches of the season, at Villanova on Friday and a home date Saturday against California University of Pennsylvania, Ernst said the women will be focusing on finishing their season strong despite the lengthy string of losses up to this point.
