With the fall season long over, the Georgetown men’s and women’s tennis teams are eagerly anticipating their upcoming season.
During the past few months, head coach Gordie Ernst has had both the men and women play in tournaments to prepare for the main part of the schedule and improve their results after last year.
“A couple of the guys played … tournaments in the off season to stay sharp,” Ernst said. “They also stayed in shape. … I haven’t had to crack down on them for [not] working hard. They’ve been doing it on their own.”
The men open their season at Virginia Commonwealth University this Saturday. The team lost three seniors in David Tillem, Anthony Tan, and Will Lowell, who accounted for 67 out of the 127 singles’ matches the team played last year. But Ernst believes that they will pull through and be just as successful as they were in the past.
“We lost two guys that are world-class … leaders,“ he said. “The captains [Bryan Miller and Andrew Bruhn] … are doing a great job. Thanks to having good captains like we had, they learned a lot last year and are now being that type of leader.”
For as long as Ernst can remember, the men’s tennis program has consistently reached the Big East Tournament. Even with the loss of very talented players, Ernst feels that they will make it there again. He hopes he will be able to say that for the women’s team too.
“I think it’s going to be a great year. I have an unbelievable bunch of kids,” he said. “They want to do different things this year. We want to come out with more wins, not just with the Big East but also with … the local teams that we play.”
This past weekend, the women’s team opened up their season at Virginia Commonwealth University’s VCU 4+1 tournament. While they lost 3-2 against Virginia Commonwealth and 4-1 against Campbell University, Ernst has reason to believe their fortune will change.
“We just missed the Big East Tournament last year,” he said. “And now we have girls that have been in it, coupled with adding Stephanie Wetmore from UCLA, who offers a wealth of experience from a national championship team.”
Even with the increased experience, Ernst knows the Big East won’t be a walk in the park. The women’s team play a lot more Big East matches then the men do, including a stretch of six in less than a month.
“I have really high hopes for them,” Ernst said. “I think we can finish middle to high in the pack of the Big East. We all stay healthy and are committed to the goal of beating up on our Big East opponents.”
After spending a lot of time on the Hilltop since the summer, the Hoyas are ready to make an impact this spring. The preparation can only help both teams find themselves on the right side of the net when the season ends.
