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 Hoya Women Capture Singles Title

Dan Gelfand/The Hoya The Georgetown women’s tennis team wrapped up the D.C. Metro Championships on Monday.

The women’s tennis team captured its first flight championship at the annual D.C. Metro Championships since 1994 this weekend, while the men’s team did not fare as well, failing to win any of the flights in which it competed.

The 26th annual competition included players from universities around the metropolitan area and beyond. It was the first competition of the season for the men’s squad, while the women looked to continue the success they enjoyed at the Bucknell Invitational the previous weekend.

The women’s team was able to continue that success this week in what Head Coach Rick Bausch called “another great tournament.” In the Flight A singles bracket, freshman Liora Gelblum picked up a title for the second consecutive weekend as she defeated Jana Karaskova of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, 6-3, 6-3.

It was the first time any Hoya, male or female, won a flight at the Metro Championship since 1994. Gelblum had won the Flight B singles at Bucknell the previous weekend. The Hoyas also enjoyed solid results in Flight B. Sophomore Stephanie Sutton reached the final before losing to Aime Lim of UMBC. In addition to Sutton, sophomore Lara Madonia reached the semifinals, where she was defeated by Sutton 6-0, 6-1, as did sophomore Chelsea Kammerer, who defeated her teammate, freshman Alison Johnson, 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Freshman Trina Snow also reached the quarterfinals.

On the men’s side, the Hoyas started out strong, winning eight of nine matches in the first round of singles play in both the A and B flights of the tournament. In Flight A, freshman Eric Bildman, sophomore Dennis Cravedi and junior Troy Crichlow reached the third round. Crichlow bowed out only after a three set battle with Josh Procacci of American University which included two sets that went to tie-breakers.

According to Bausch, “Troy did a wonderful job competing.” In Flight B, senior Nick Sklavounos reached the semifinals while senior Ken Jordan reached the third round.

The Hoyas did not enjoy as much success in men’s doubles, as all four teams in Flight A were eliminated by their second matches. The Hoyas’ second doubles team of Jordan and Sklavounos dropped a narrow 8-6 decision in the eight game pro-set to the first doubles team of Jibade Thomas and Dwayne Pagon from Howard University. In Flight B, the team of Cravedi and freshman Aaron Shumaker reached the semifinals before bowing out to the third doubles team from American University.

“We all have a sense that we are going to be a better team. However, we’ve got some work to do,” Bausch said. He added that unlike last year at the Metro Championships, the Hoyas were unable to win a match against any player from local rival American University.

“We want to be more like them,” Bausch said.

In the Flight A doubles draw, the Hoyas’ first team of Kammerer and sophomore Jordan Botjer reached the semifinals where they were defeated by the first team from UMBC. In the second bracket, no Georgetown team was able to make it past the second round.

The men’s squad will return to action this weekend as they compete at the ECAC Invitational held Oct. 5 – 8 in Cambridge, ass.

The Hoyas received the invite to the ECAC because they are projected to be one of the top 16 teams in the East coast region this year.

“Our goal is to make them understand that we are one of those teams,” Bausch said.

The women’s team will face Loyola next Saturday, Oct. 6 in the Baltimore-Washington Challenge in Baltimore.

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