After two successful tournaments for the Georgetown women’s tennis team, it was time for a reality check. At the ECAC Invitational this weekend at Princeton, the Hoyas struggled against their toughest competition of the year.
In their first match against Ivy League power Princeton, Georgetown fell 0-7. It was their second match against Rutgers, though, that showed how far the women have come from last year, when they finished the spring with only one Big East win, a forfeit.
At the number one spot, Hoya rookie Liora Gelblum beat Rutgers’ Jennifer Hellier in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. Sophomore Jordan Botjer fought through a tough three set match to win 6-5 (5), 2-6, 2-2 (6) at the No. 3 position. Meanwhile, the team’s lone senior, Caroline Marshall, pulled out another close three-setter, 6-5 (3), 4-6, 1-1 (6).
With the match tied 3-3, freshman Liddy Bartell, who was injured in her first match against Princeton, fought out two tie-breakers with Amanda Travlos at the No. 2 spot. Her 5-6 (5), 5-6 (4) heartbreaker gave Rutgers the victory. They finished out the tournament with a 2-5 loss to George Washington.
“Our team is so young,” said assistant coach Kevin Reider, referring to the three freshman in the top six positions. “They showed a lot of hustle, which is good to see.”
Sophomore transfer Stephanie Sutton was equally optimistic.
“Rutgers was definately a winnable match. We’ll be more successful in the spring,” she said. “We know we have to beat them to make the Big East Championships, and that’s our goal.”
However, the team has several glitches to work out before the spring.
“We need to work on how to handle high pressure points?whether to be agressive, which is what we want, or wait for the other person to make a mistake,” Reider said.
“We’re a little shaky on doubles,” team captain Marshall added. “Obviously we’re dissapointed we lost to Rutgers, but we figured out what we need to work on, and we’re willing to do that. It was encouraging and motivating.”
The women have a reason for feeling positive. They started out the fall by sending two players to the finals of the “B” Flight at the Bucknell Invitational, where Gelblum defeated Marshall, 6-1, 6-2. Soon after, at the D.C. Metro Championships, the Hoyas won their first flight championship since 1994 when Gelblum defeated UMBC’s Jana Karaskova to win Flight A. In addition, Sutton advanced to the finals of Flight B, and sophomores Lara Madonia and Chelsea Kammerer made it to the semis. Even though this weekend’s ECAC Championships proved difficult, it traditionally hosts the top teams on the East Coast.
“We played tough competition, and we know what we’re up against,” said Sutton. “This was a challenge that will help us move forward.”
