The Georgetown Classic took place this last weekend, with men’s and women’s teams attending from George Washington, Norfolk State, Johns Hopkins, UMBC, ASA, and Christopher Newport. The tournament had mixed results, with no Hoyas reaching the finals, but three players reaching the quarterfinals in the men’s draw, and one player reaching the semifinals in the women’s draw. While the tournament does not count as much as the spring season, it represents an opportunity for upperclassmen to get back into shape, and for freshman to begin to get used to college matches.
Coach Gordie Ernst said that he thought the tournament “was okay, [but] my biggest disappointment was we didn’t have more in the final day.” He was pleased with the performance of freshman Sophia Barnard, who, in her first collegiate tournament, did not drop a set until she lost in the semifinals. Captain Madeline Jaeger said, “We need to get more match play in before the spring.”
Both captains were impressed by how freshmen did. “It was good to finally play some matches and good to get our feet wet so that we can do more damage against Navy in a couple weeks,” Captain Kelly Comolli said. As the team works into shape, the positive results of freshmen foreshadow what should be a very good season.
On the men’s side, even though the results were not ideal, there were several bright spots. Freshman Jack Murphy lost in the first round of the tournament, but made the finals of the consolation bracket. Sophomore Daniel Khanin, freshman Yannick Mahlangu, and junior Shane Korber all reached the quarterfinals, with Korber losing to the eventual winner of the tournament.
Ernst was disappointed with Khanin’s performance. “He can do much better,” he said. The challenge facing Khanin and Mahlangu is that they are two of the best players on the team, and Ernst believes that because they “have to show it day in and day out, it becomes their challenge.”
Men’s captain Andrew Dottino, recovering from a shoulder injury, played for the first time this year in doubles play. After last season’s results, and the quality of the current freshmen, the pressure will be on for the Hoyas.
Ernst wanted to put the tournament in context: “You don’t win championships in the fall. … Freshmen are on the path right now, but there’s a lot of work to be done,” he said. The real question to be answered is whether the men’s and women’s teams can play through the rough elements of March and April and be victorious. The men’s team next goes to Providence, Rhode Island to play Brown and Middlebury on Oct. 5, while the women’s team goes to the Navy Invitational Tournament next weekend.
