The GW women’s tennis team suffered three losses at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament last weekend after opening its season with a win at Towson University.
The Colonial women were swept in all six singles matches in the tournament’s opener against the University of Pennsylvania, falling 6-0. No GW player won a set in the match. Katarina Stastny had the most success of any GW player, losing 6-3, 6-3 at No. 4 singles.
In the second match, GW didn’t fare much better in a 5-2 loss to Boston University. Sarine Weingarten won the only singles match for GW at No. 2 singles, defeating Jennifer Momli 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, and no other Colonial woman won a set in the match.
GW fell 5-1 to West Virginia University in its third and final match of the tournament. Weingarten came through again for GW’s only singles victory, defeating Maia Binder 6-2, 6-1.
First-year GW head coach Jeanne Gengler said that while the results were far from stellar at the ECAC tournament, which consists of 16 of the top teams in the East, just being invited to it is a major accomplishment for the program. The losses should also prove to be a learning experience for GW, she said.
“For Ghada (Skaff) at one and Holly (Huntley at three), it was a wonderful platform to be up against better players to see what you need to improve on,” Gengler said. “And all of our players had to be beaten, they didn’t just lose games.”
The tennis team opened its season with a 5-2 victory over Towson Oct. 14.
GW won four of its six singles matches and split the two doubles matches to earn its first victory of the season.
Weingarten won decisively at No. 2 with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Stephanie Knouse. Huntley defeated Megan Scott in straight sets at No. 3, 6-2, 6-3, while Stastny beat Terry Dumansly 7-6, 6-4 at No. 4. Paige Novack dropped just two games in cruising to a straight-set victory at No. 5.
In the No. 1 doubles match, Huntley and Weingarten blanked their opponents 8-0 in a pro-set format.
“I was so glad that as a team we got off to a good start,” Gengler said. “We’re a diverse group with diverse tennis styles, and we’re really coming together as a group.”
