Over the weekend, the Boston University women’s tennis team was in Virginia for matches against Old Dominion University and the College of William and Mary, and lost both.
The Terriers (9-4) dropped a close contest Saturday to Old Dominion by the score of 4-3. However, BU coach Lesley Sheehan could not fault her team’s effort.
“We knew going in that Old Dominion would be a tough team,” Sheehan said. “It was an evenly matched game that could have gone either way. Instead of defeating them 4-3, we lost 4-3.”
On Sunday, BU dropped another hard-fought match to William and Mary – currently ranked No. 34 in the nation – by the score of 5-2.
In singles, senior Lindsey Dynof lost her match to Megan Muth of William and Mary – the 19th-ranked player in the nation – 6-1, 6-2. Following that, Elena deMendoza fell 6-2, 6-2 at second singles.
Erin Katims won the next match, as she took the first set 7-5 and was awarded the victory when her opponent at third singles was forced to retire. Elisa Glas won her singles match by scores of 7-5, 1-6 and 1-0 (10-7), but sophomore Laura Ahmes was defeated in her match 6-1, 6-4 and classmate Aimee Charest fell in straight sets of 6-2.
In doubles, the team of Dynof and Katims was defeated 8-3 by Muth and Amy Wei of William and Mary – the 15th-ranked tandem in the nation. Charest and deMendoza were defeated 8-2 in the next match, losing the doubles point despite BU salvaging the final match, as the team of Glas and Ahmes was victorious by the score of 8-5.
Sheehan did not appear discouraged by the loss to William and Mary.
“William and Mary ended last year ranked eighth in the nation,” she said. “We knew what we were playing.”
Despite what some would call a lost weekend, Sheehan was philosophical about both defeats.
“It shows [the team] can play well against some of the very best teams in the country,” she said.
Sheehan went on to single out Glas, who won both her doubles matches over the weekend and finished the weekend 3-1, as the top individual performer of the past weekend.
Next up for the women’s tennis team is a pair of Ivy League matchups, one against Brown University on Thursday and another against Yale University on Sunday. Sheehan was cautiously optimistic about BU’s chances.
“Both teams are nationally ranked, and both of them defeated us last year, but this is a new year,” she said. “We’re playing very good tennis right now, and I’m expecting good, hard-fought matches.”