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 | Hoyas Split First Two Conference Matches

Opening what many anticipate to be a Big East schedule slated with matches expected to go down to the wire, Georgetown defeated the Butler Bulldogs in the league opener 5-2 on Friday afternoon, before falling to the DePaul Blue Demons in Chicago by a final score of 4-3 Saturday.

The match against Butler (2-4, 0-2 Big East) in Griffith, Ind., started with the Hoyas (1-2, 1-1 Big East) gaining a key doubles point, as senior Sydney Goodson and sophomore Sofie Moenster won their set by a score of 6-3, while freshman Elena De Santis and senior Risa Nakagawa escaped their doubles opponent by a score of 6-4.

Commitment to play is what made the difference in these matches, according to Head Coach Courtney Dolehide.

“It was all about how motivated and how energetic you can come out of the gates,” Dolehide said.
Goodson dominated her opponent in singles 6-4 and 6-0 to give the Hoyas their fastest singles victory of the afternoon. Additionally, both Nakagawa and De Santis took the lead in dominant third sets to attain their victories.

Moenster faced a tough Bulldog opponent, whom she overcame en route to a 10-8 victory in the decisive third set. Coach Dolehide said she was impressed with Moenster’s comeback late in the match.

“It’s a testament to her competitive nature, just one of the players you want out there when the match is close,” Dolehide said.

GU HOYAS | Following the weekend split, the Hoyas stand at 1-2 in their overall record

Freshman Renee Repella also showed potential for the Hoyas when she took her first singles set by a score of 6-3 before eventually falling in the match in a tight three-set battle.

The next day, the Hoyas travelled from Indiana to Chicago, where they found a skilled foe in the conference-leading DePaul Blue Demons (2-2, 2-0 Big East). Georgetown was off to a weaker start compared to their performance earlier in the weekend. They dropped the doubles point by a score of 2-1. This came back to haunt the Hoyas later, as it was the deciding factor on an afternoon which featured two equally strong teams splitting their singles matches 3-3. The Blue Demons walked off the court still undefeated in conference, defeating Georgetown by a score of 3-4.

Georgetown secured strong victories from Goodson and senior Cecilia Lynham, as the seniors both used their experience to their advantage by edging out victories in tie breakers in both matches.

Georgetown’s other highlights from the day came from De Santis, who played her best match of the year so far, as she dominated her opponent with back-to-back 6-3 victories.

Coach Dolehide looks with confidence towards what could be an exciting career for the first-year Italian player should she keep maturing her play.

“That was some of the best tennis I’ve seen Elena play all year, not just in pockets of the match but start to finish,” Dolehide said. “She’s been working on some things and I could not be more proud of what she did against DePaul.”

Georgetown now looks ahead to a local contest against the University of Maryland, a match the team has been anticipating for a while.

“Our girls are fired up about this team, a team right up the road, an opportunity to face off against a nonconference opponent,” Dolehide said.

Despite a weekend of mixed results, there were highlights from nearly every player on the team. Furthermore, the Hoyas can take solace in the upcoming month of home matches — mainly at Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland — ahead. Georgetown hopes to improve their record during this stretch as their toughest Big East tests are out of the way.

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