The Boston University women’s tennis team continued its on-again, off-again season this weekend, splitting two matches in its trip through the Buckeye State. No. 31 Ohio State University swept all seven matches against the Terriers on Saturday, but BU returned to form Sunday with a sweep of its own against the University of Cincinnati.
The Terriers (7-5) have won five matches by scores of 7-0 or 6-1 to go along with four 7-0 or 6-1 losses. Despite the lopsided result against Ohio State, BU coach Lesley Sheehan remained upbeat.
“We played well in both matches,” Sheehan said. “But OSU was just too tough for us [Saturday]. We need to make some more improvements in order to beat a team like OSU.”
Though the Terriers struggled against the Buckeyes, there were some bright spots. Junior Yana Sadovskaya put forth a commendable effort, losing 6-2, 6-4 in a difficult No. 4 singles match, while sophomore Francine Whu lost 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 in the No. 1 matchup against OSU’s Angela DiPastina.
Sheehan said the fact that Whu extended her match to a third set proves the Terriers aren’t far behind the No. 31 team in America.
“This weekend and next weekend are great tests for us,” Sheehan said. “We are playing strong teams, which will help us improve our games. We are hoping to continue playing well so we can peak at the America East Tournament.”
The Terriers head south this coming weekend, first to North Carolina to take on Davidson College on Saturday and then South Carolina to challenge Furman University on Sunday. The two matches should serve as a final opportunity to see where BU stands before a potential trip to the NCAA Tournament in May. The team will spend the remainder of its regular season in New England before the America East Tournament on April 25-27.
“We played Davidson a few years ago and had a very close match with them,” Sheehan said. “We won it, but I know we are in for another battle. We have never played Furman, but they are a highly ranked team and [I’m] hoping [we’re] able to play well and defeat them.”
To emerge victorious from its weekend trip to the Carolinas, BU will need another strong performance from its captain and the recently crowned America East Performer of the Week, junior Cori Lefkowith.
“[Cori] has improved her game each year and has helped the team tremendously,” Sheehan said. “In Florida [against Florida International, Temple and Florida Atlantic] she went 3-0. She’s an excellent captain as well. She’s also a great doubles player, so all around she contributes greatly to the team.”
In addition to Lefkowith, the Terriers rely on the efforts of freshman Vanessa Steiner, the team’s No. 2 singles player. With Whu and Steiner, BU is well positioned for upcoming seasons.
“I am excited about the future,” Sheehan said. “We have our top six back next year and three incoming freshmen who will add a lot to the team.”
Winning is exactly what Sheehan has come to expect, but even with a College Coach of the Year award from USA Tennis New England and 14 consecutive America East Championships under her belt, the Terrier Hall of Famer still wants more.
“We’ll take [it] one match at a time, but we always want to beat BC,” Sheehan said. “We also want to be No. 1 in America East and gain a bid to the NCAA Tournament.”
