Considering the wear and tear that comes with spending time on the road a la Lewis and Clark, perhaps the Boston University women’s tennis team can be pardoned for not playing up to par.
The difficulties are compounded, however, when the Terriers are slated to play nationally ranked opponents.
Such was the case this weekend, as BU fell below .500 for the first time since its home opener against Pennsylvania State University.
Friday, No. 34 Old Dominion University defeated the Terriers, 6-1, at Old Dominion Tennis Complex, extending the Lady Monarchs’ (12-1) winning streak to 11 games.
The Monarchs, who sport a lineup that features freshman Nataly Cahana, the No. 5 player in the country, won every match except a three-set thriller decided in a tiebreaker when BU sophomore Alana Marcu pulled off the upset.
Marcu, slotted in the fifth spot, went a perfect 2-0 on the weekend, which included a 6-0, 6-0 wipeout of her Virginia Commonwealth opponent.
BU nearly pulled an upset of the No. 53 Rams (7-4) on Saturday afternoon.
But a heated doubles match was the deciding factor in the 4-3 Terrier loss.
The third-slot doubles match had already been decided in BU’s favor due to an injury-related default.
Thus, all the Terriers needed was one more doubles victory to gain the point advantage.
But the Rams swept the remaining two matches.
In the first slot, senior Yana Carollo and freshman Sylvia Urickova defeated the BU team of junior Christina Causway and senior co-captain Carrie Rose, 8-6, a loss that proved pivotal as the match progressed.
Old Dominion sophomore Raluca Ciulei and freshman Anca Dumitrescu beat BU freshmen Elena de Mendoza and Lindsey Dynof, 8-1, at second doubles to clinch the point.
“We had a real close match that could have gone either way with a few points, which, had we capitalized on [them], we could have come out ahead,” Rose said. “We really had our chances.”
The Terriers did reel off three singles victories.
Causway overtook Virginia’s Raluca Ciulei, 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8). Marcu picked up a straight sets win over Wendy Hsu, and freshman Hannah Bartell won by default.
But those three BU singles wins were equaled by the Rams, who were playing without junior Martina Nedelkova, the No. 6 player in the nation. Despite the loss, the team remains in positive spirits, according to the co-captain.
“Both [Old Dominion] and [Virginia Commonwealth] were good teams, so everyone is looking on to the next match [against Dartmouth College],” Rose said. “Overall, I thought we played very well.”
Rose would not blame the long road trip for the team’s inconsistent play.
“Everyone seems to be managing all right,” she said. “It’s hectic [with] schoolwork and everything, but I think the players are keeping up all right.”
BU’s difficult schedule is no accident. Head coach Lesley Sheehan picks matches according to the quality of the opponent.
Otherwise, she claims, how else would her team improve?
“We really need to be able to schedule teams ranked above us,” Sheehan said. “It would be great if we could knock them off, but [the opposition] is expected to win. That’s just the way it is.”
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