The Boston University women’s tennis team suffered a 6-1 road loss at the hands of the 35th-ranked University of Alabama on Saturday afternoon. The loss dropped the Terriers to 9-5 (2-0 America East) on the season and was the team’s second loss in its last three matches.
The Terriers’ lone win came from freshman Danielle Abraham, who won her match in the sixth singles position, 7-5, 6-4 to prevent a Crimson Tide sweep. Despite the result, BU coach Lesley Sheehan said there were many positives the team could take from the match.
“We were playing a really good team and pushed them to the limit,” Sheehan said. “Abraham was able to win her match, Cori Lefkowith played close in hers and the doubles were great, really neck-and-neck.”
The Terriers fought hard in the doubles portion of the match, despite losing all three matches. BU’s top team of senior Monica Shepard and sophomore Gina Sabatino fought hard with the 16th-ranked doubles team before losing, 8-5.
“Our number one team was really neck and neck with them the whole time in doubles.” Sheehan said. “They’ve been competing with everyone and just have to make the jump [to the next level].”
Also falling in a close doubles match was the team of senior Laura Ahmes and junior Erin Katims, who lost in the second spot, 8-6. The duo fell behind, 2-0, to the Alabama team of Mari Muller and Melissa Day, but battled back to tie the match at 2-2. The match stayed on serve until the Alabama duo broke the Terriers to take a 7-6 lead and then served for the match, winning, 8-6.
In the third doubles match-up, the freshman team of Lefkowith and Abraham lost, 8-1, in just 35 minutes.
“Besides the third match, I think this doubles performance was one of our better performances,” Sheehan said. “They just do some things better. They closed into the net well and were a little more aggressive, they put the pressure on us and they were able to win a lot of the big points.”
Singles didn’t go as well for the Terriers. Besides Abraham’s victory, the only other Terrier to win a set was Lefkowith, who lost in the fifth spot, 4-6, 6-1, 1-0.
Katims lost to Robin Stephenson, the 11th-ranked singles player in the nation, by a score of 6-0, 6-1 in the first spot. Sabatino lost in the second spot, 6-1, 6-1, while Ahmes had similar trouble at No. 3 singles, losing 6-2, 6-2. Freshman Yana Sadovskaya found a little more success, keeping the first set close but ultimately falling to her opponent, 6-4, 6-2.
The loss was the Terriers’ fourth this season to a nationally ranked opponent.
“We’re really close to becoming one of the top teams,” Sheehan said. “We’ve been competitive.”
Sheehan believes that this tough schedule will serve her team well later in the season as the Terriers attempt to win their 13th straight America East championship.
“I’ve been trying to get the team to play nationally,” said Sheehan, whose squad also traveled to Florida earlier this season. “It should help us get going. I definitely think it should help us as the season progresses.”
The tough schedule so far has not produced any upset wins for the Terriers this year, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t improved, especially the freshmen.
“I’m pleased overall,” Sheehan said of her team’s match with Alabama. “After they beat us, they went on to upset Michigan, who at the time was ranked No. 22 in the U.S. So I’m happy with how we were able to play with them.”