The spring season is coming to a close, but the Georgetown tennis teams are still going strong. Playing host to local rival Howard University on Tuesday, April 6, both the men and the women’s teams were able to pick up solid wins over the Bison, 4-3.
The men started off the afternoon with two wins in doubles play to secure the team point. Senior Dennis Cravedi and junior Erik Bildman battled back to win their No. 1 doubles match with a 9-8 tiebreaker victory. At No. 3 doubles, sophomore Eric Conrad and freshman Eddie Carver had an easier time, defeating their opponents in a shutout, 8-0.
“We’ve had really good doubles combinations,” Head Coach Rich Bausch said. “We’ve matched up better in doubles than in singles.”
Their fourth straight team doubles victory this season would prove crucial as the Hoyas went on to win three of the six singles matches for the overall 4-3 win. Conrad picked up the first win for Georgetown, defeating Howard junior Mark King in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. At No. 4 singles, also coming off a doubles victory, Bildman picked up another point with a 6-4, 6-1 win.
With losses at the No. 1, 2 and 5 singles matches, the overall win on the day came down to freshman Kevin Killeavy at No. 3 singles. Facing junior Jibade Thomas, Killeavy fell in a long first set 7-6, but fought his way back into the match, winning the next set 6-4, and the final set in a close one, 7-6. This win gave Georgetown the last point needed to secure the overall win, improving their spring record to 6-12.
The women were also able to improve their record with a 4-3 win over the Bison. Despite a close score, the women handled their competition easily. The Bison won two of their points by default in singles because they were playing with a shortened roster and Georgetown opted not to play a full roster as well.
The women played the singles matches first in their competition, winning three of the four matches played. Playing in positions they were not familiar with, the Hoyas responded with dominant play. Freshman Sana Malouf moved up to No. 1 singles and defeated her opponent 6-4, 6-3, while sophomore Kristen Dew, moved to No. 4, downed her competition 6-3, 6-1. At No. 2 singles, freshman Nora Gardner started off slow, losing her first set 7-5, but bounced back with solid play in the next two to win the match 6-2, 6-0.
“I was really delighted with their play,” Baush said of the women’s performance. “I’m happy that we were able to get back on track and play like we played against UMBC.”
In doubles the Hoyas were again dominant, winning both matches by large margins. Dew and Malouf won the No. 1 doubles match 8-3, while Gardner and freshman Eileen Boyle won at No. 2 doubles 8-2, securing the doubles point and the overall win.
“The best thing to take away from this match is that the women played well in positions that they were unfamiliar with,” Bausch said. “I’m proud that they didn’t let that become a problem.”
The men’s team will close out its season this weekend on the road. Tomorrow the men will travel to Villanova, Pa., to face St. John’s. On Sunday they will return to the metro area, heading to Baltimore to face the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
The women will also finish their season on the road, with games at Syracuse tomorrow and at Seton Hall on Sunday.
With a win over St. John’s the men will keep their hopes alive for a spot in the Big East Championships, which will be held at the University of Miami at the end of the month. The tournament takes the top six teams in the conference and the Hoyas currently stand in seventh. A decisive victory over the Red Storm would put the Hoyas in contention for the final slot.
“We’re on the outside looking to get in,” Bausch said. “We need to beat St. John’s badly, but I don’t see any reason why we can’t win.”