Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Women’s Tennis | GU Beats George Washington, Towson

When Georgetown’s women’s tennis team opened its season against in late January, it suffered a tough loss at the hands of Virginia Commonwealth University (6-3). Since that Jan. 23 loss, the team (5-2, 0-1 Big East) has bounced back and has five its last six competitions, as the team defeated both George Washington (3-2, 0-0 Atlantic 10) and Towson (4-4, 0-1 CAA) this past week, upping its record to an impressive 5-2.

“The win over GW was one of our most meaningful wins yet,” freshman Daphne de Chatellus said. “It was meaningful to win on our home courts and in front of our friends and family, as the GW match is our only home match of the season.”

The Hoyas faced off against the Colonials this past Sunday at the Yates Field House, defeating the cross-town rivals 4-1. Georgetown started out strong, edging out George Washington in two tightly contested doubles matches. Junior Liselot Koenen and senior captain Sophie Panarese won at first doubles 6-4, while sophomore Victoire Saperstein and junior Taylor Perz won 7-6 at second doubles.

Sophomore Sophia Barnard and freshman Casey Marx fell at third doubles 6-4, but the Hoyas still won the doubles point.

“That GW doubles was thrilling,” Head Coach Gordie Ernst said. “Taylor Perz was the story of the night in doubles. That was her first doubles match she played since last year, and she was in a very stressful situation, and she responded. I was so proud of her; she stayed loose, she used her great athletic ability, and she was aggressive when she needed to be.”

Momentum from the doubles matches propelled the Hoyas into singles play, setting up Saperstein, Koenen and de Chatellus for straight-set victories to win the match. Saperstein defeated GW freshman Teodora Radosavljevic 6-4, 6-3, while Koenen routed her opponent in a 6-0, 6-2 decision. De Chatellus beat junior Egle Jakuciunaite 6-1, 6-4.

As the four victories solidified the Georgetown win, Barnard and Marx’s singles matches went unfinished.

Playing at Yates helped the Hoyas considerably — the location was ideal for a competitive cross-town match.“Playing at Yates with about a hundred people there, with all the girls’ friends … was great,” Ernst said. “It’s no different than any other sport; when you have people cheering for you, you get an adrenaline boost.”

Georgetown’s success continued in its match against Towson on Wednesday in Alexandria, Va. The Hoyas toppled the Tigers 5-2, winning the doubles point as well as four singles matches. Panarese and Koenen won at first doubles, as did Perz and Saperstein at second doubles.

Saperstein, Panarese, Marx and de Chatellus picked up singles victories to notch the win for the Hoyas. Saperstein cruised to an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory over Towson sophomore Sophie Lesage in the first singles slot.

“Victoire is really really good; a nationally ranked girl might beat her, but otherwise, she’s going to take it to you. She’s getting more and more confident all the time,” Ernst said of Saperstein’s consistently impressive performances. “I really do believe that Victoire can be the best player in the Big East and she could be a nationally ranked girl, I do.”

Panarese, on the other hand, battled for her second singles victory. Panarese edged Towson freshman Lucy Williams in a tough 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) decision.

“That was like Sophie freshman year, that’s why I was so happy,” Ernst said. “Because freshman year, every close match she won [were] those real thrillers, those real up-and-down momentum shift matches.”

De Chatellus won her match in the fifth single slot 6-2, 6-3. Marx also won in straight sets, defeating Towson freshman Renate van Oorschodt 6-1, 6-4.

Georgetown will face off against Navy (6-3, 0-0 Patriot League) next week in Alexandria, Va. Although Navy will prove tough competition, de Chatellus is confident that Georgetown will be able to keep up its winning streak.

“We definitely feel momentum from our wins so far this season, which makes us even more excited to take on Navy next week,” de Chatellus said. “Knowing that we have beaten some tough teams gives us the necessary confidence to continue our win streak throughout the season.”

A previous version of this article indicated that Georgetown’s women’s tennis team won five straight games and that its record for the season was (5-2). Corrections have been appended to reflect the team’s correct record.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *