Starting tomorrow, the balls will be in the Hoyas’ court. The Georgetown men’s and women’s tennis teams look to set the tone for their 2011-2012 season with a rare home appearance this weekend as they host the annual Georgetown Classic Tennis Tournament at McDonough Outdoor Tennis Complex.
Players and coaches anticipate the tournament every year, since the competition is strong—this year including George Washington, Bucknell, Maryland, James Madison, UMBC, and Longwood—and the on-campus location makes it easy for students, staff, and parents to come out and support the team.
“It’s something our teams look forward to,” men’s and women’s head coach Gordie Ernst said. “A lot of parents are coming, a lot of the players’ friends are coming. It’s become one of those weekends when the players want to do well.”
Aside from the added pressure of impressing friends and family, the tournament will be an essential building block for the rest of the fall season, as both squads prepare for Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals at the end of October.
“It’s our first test to see where we are in terms of other teams and how we view ourselves,” men’s senior captain Andrew Bruhn said. “We’ve worked hard and now it’s time to go out and play.”
The women’s team comes into the weekend motivated by their success at the UNC-Wilmington Fall Invitational, where the Hoyas won two singles flights in their best-ever performance at the tournament.
Sophomore Tina Tehrani handily took the A flight with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Lauren Kline from Furman while junior Vicky Sekely claimed the B flight crown in defeating another Furman player, Alex Moreno, 6-2, 6-3.
After last weekend’s dominating display in which Tehrani did not drop a set, expect her to have a target on her back this weekend. With her confidence growing from success at several summer tournaments and her triumph in Wilmington, the Connecticut native has distinguished herself as the Hoyas’ top player.
Yet, with a randomly selected draw, she could likely be matched up against one of her own teammates in the first round, which Ernst believes could strengthen the teams’ overall performance.
“Some of the other girls last weekend that didn’t do well are going to want a piece of her,” Ernst said. “The girls know I believe in heavy-duty competition, so if they have to play each other in the first round they won’t be surprised.”
The Classic will serve a slightly different purpose for the men’s team, as they will be making their season debut Friday. Talented squads from Maryland and James Madison will force the team to quickly shake off the rust if they hope to secure victory in the tournament for the first time. But Ernst isn’t overly concerned about a slow start.
“Win or lose, who knows what’s going to happen,” he said. “One thing I know now is our guy’s team is ready to play. They’re the most hungry team I’ve had in a long time.”
Spectators and opponents will be on the watch for junior Charlie Caris, labeled by Ernst as “the quintessential team guy,” as he holds perhaps the best chance to lead an upset of the highly touted players from Maryland and JMU.
“He’s by far our hardest worker,” Ernst said. “You just want to see a guy like that do well in this sort of venue.”
The men will also be focused on preparing for the spring in addition to their remaining fall tournaments. UMBC, Bucknell and George Washington also appear on the Hoyas’ spring schedule, meaning the Classic will be a crucial time for them to scout and gain confidence against their future opponents.
“We’ll still have a long way to go,” said Bruhn. “I think it’s going to be a good way to see where we are right now.”
The action starts early Friday afternoon and continues through Sunday at the McDonough Outdoor Tennis Complex.
