The Buff & Blue triumphed in doubles at the Blue and Gold Invite in Annapolis, Maryland, last weekend.
Doubles pairings of tennis freshmen Vaida Matuseviciute and Karen Verduzco and Revs’ sophomore Madison Lee paired with Navy’s Manci Pal each claimed titles in doubles flights A and C, respectively. The Revolutionaries competed against nonconference teams, including Navy, Lehigh and D.C.-rival Georgetown at the three-day tournament.
Matuseviciute and Verduzco defeated a pair from Villanova 6-4 to secure their title in Flight A. Lee and Pal rallied past a pair from Navy 6-1 to secure the Flight C trophy.
“Having two freshmen, Vaida and Karen, win the ‘A’ doubles flight at the Blue and Gold Invitational is moving us in the right direction,” Rodriguez said in an email. “So far, doubles has had the biggest impact to our team. I’ve been mixing it up to see who compliments each other and who has the chemistry to make an impact.”
At season opener Bedford Cup last month, Lee and Matuseviciute were paired, ultimately losing 6-1 in the third-place match to West Virginia, and sophomore Victoria Sasinka and senior Alejandra Ramirez were paired, winning their third-place match 6-4 over Delaware State. Matuseviciute, Sasinka and sophomore Solange Skeene finished third in their respective singles flights at the tournament, where each went 2-1 during the weekend before winning on the final day to secure their third-place finishes.
The Revs collected three bronze finishes at the Bedford Cup, hosted by the University of Maryland.
Rodriguez said doubles pairings will be crucial for the rest of the season and looks to improve the team’s comfort in playing doubles and “applying pressure.”
“The fall season has been a success so far,” Head Coach George Rodriguez said in an email. “Watching their confidence grow every match they play has been refreshing and inspiring. We are using this fall season to gain experience and to gain traction before we move into the spring season.”
Matuseviciute said she had looked forward to playing alongside Verduzco at the Blue and Gold Invite and enjoyed winning together as freshmen. She said the pair’s ferocity was useful in the Flight A doubles bracket.
“I loved playing with Karen and was so happy that we could secure a win,” Matuseviciute said in an email. “We had great energy together, and our aggressive playing styles complemented each other well.”
Underclassmen dominate this season’s seven-person roster, with three freshmen, three sophomores and one senior, following the graduation of four athletes from last year’s 10-person lineup. Rodriguez said last month that the young team will focus on building confidence ahead of the spring season.
Tennis will attend the ITA Regional Championships to compete against other Atlantic region schools from Oct. 17 to 21 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
