Streaks are one of sports’ great, unsolved mysteries. For whatever reason, teams of the highest and lowest caliber can inexplicably embark on winning or losing runs that defy all logic. It’s a query both the men’s and women’s tennis teams will be pondering in the days to come, although for very different reasons.
The Georgetown men’s tennis team slumped to an 0-4 record on the road over the weekend due to a loss to Duquesne University on Friday and then another to the University of Toledo on Saturday.
“It was a little disappointing on the men’s end. I was hoping to come up with a better result,” said men’s and women’s tennis Head Coach Gordie Ernst. “We did not have the fight that we should always have going into a match.”
The Hoyas only picked up two points against Duquesne on Friday with senior captain Charlie Caris and junior Casey Distaso registering the only wins for the Blue and Gray. The Hoyas tried to improve their form against the University of Toledo, and put up a better fight, but ultimately lost the match 4-3. Caris and Distaso came away with a doubles win, while points from singles victories would come from freshman Danny Khanin and Distaso.
Ernst remained positive about his team’s performance on the second day. “On the flip side we came back against a better team the next day and ended on a sense of positivity,” he said. “You can’t win them all. But, if we can convert, we’ll get those points this year and we’ll be okay.”
The female side fared much better in their half of the action. The Hoyas (3-1) swept play against Duquesne, walking away with a 7-0 win. Against Big East rival Pittsburgh, Georgetown was forced to fight a little more, with freshman Taylor Perez reversing a 5-0 scoreline to come up with a huge win for the Blue and Gray.
“We went up there and got two wins. Duquesne is decent,” said Ernst, “They came out hard. They have a new coach. They beat us in the double. We had a meeting and I said, ‘Girls, this is a Big East matchup!’ That’s when they really came out and I’m really proud of them.”
Men’s tennis will try to break their recent form a week from Wednesday in a 2:30 p.m. match at the University of Pennsylvania. Women’s tennis is back in action Saturday against cross-town rivals George Washington University with the time yet to be announced.
Ernst hopes the women’s tennis team can continue their streak and remains optimistic about the fate of the men’s team.
“We have to play with urgency and intensity on all points,” he said.
