The Hopkins women’s tennis team took home a win and a loss in their split-squad matches on Saturday. Half of the top-ranked team traveled to Atlanta to take on third-ranked Emory, where they suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 7-2. However, in a home conference bout with Ursinus, Hopkins shut out the Bears 9-0 to remain undefeated in the Centennial Conference. Their record moved to 12-1 on the season and 4-0 in conference.
The Lady Jays were nothing short of dominant in Baltimore against Ursinus. Hopkins dropped a mere 19 games in their six singles and three doubles matches en route to their shutout of the Bears. Every singles match was won in straight sets, and the Lady Jays dropped just six games. Freshman Jody Law won in the one spot 6-2, 6-0 over Audrey Whitebloom, and senior Abby Clark in the second spot defeated BreAnna Bashaw 6-1, 6-1.
Centennial Conference player of the week, freshman Anna Kankanala beat S.J. Seabra 6-2, 6-0 to continue an excellent debut season in the third singles spot. Junior Kaitlin Pfisterer won by the same score in the fourth spot over opponent Christina Cromwell. Freshman Amanda Soo Ping Chow dropped only one game in her fifth spot singles match with Robin Alsher, while senior Lauren Fields did not lose any games in her match against Sydney Dodson-Nease.
Doubles action Saturday against Ursinus also saw brilliant gameplay from the Lady Jays. Law and Fields defeated Heather McMasters and Cromwell 8-3 in first doubles. Pfisterer and Kankanala in the second spot beat Seabra and Bashaw 8-6. Freshman Savannah de Montesquiou and sophomore Kara McDonough defeated Whitebloom and Christine Palazollo.
The Lady Jays, ranked number one in the nation, have yet to lose in conference play.
“I think the key to our Centennial Conference success so far is our focus. We never take a match lightly, and we always give 100 percent," Law said.
The other half of the tennis team did not fare as well as they suffered a defeat to Emory. Emory took two of the three doubles matches for the day. Senior Hailey Hogan and sophomore Sydney Lehman fell to Gabrielle Clark and Michelle Satterfield 8-5 in the first doubles match. Freshman Mikey Barthelmass and junior Elaine Baik took home the Lady Jays’ only doubles win in the second spot, topping Beatrice Rosen and Madison Gordon 9-8. In the third doubles match, Breanna Kelly and Melissa Goodman topped Hopkins juniors Shannon Herndon and Stephanie Rettig 8-3.
Hopkins was unable to come back in the singles matches, dropping five of the six on the afternoon to the Eagles. Clark brought Emory’s lead to 3-1 with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over freshman Amanda Austi. Herndon then dropped her sixth spot match 6-0, 6-3 and Satterfield clinched an Eagles’ victory with a 6-4, 6-3 win over freshman Ashnaa Rao. Goodman then defeated Hogan 7-5, 6-2 in the fourth position. Lehman picked up the Lady Jays’ lone victory of the afternoon in singles with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Rosen. The day concluded with Baik dropping a 6-4, 6-3 decision to Gordon.
The Lady Jays’ first loss of the season came as somewhat of a shock for the top-ranked program in the country, which had been off to the best start in program history.
“The loss was tough, but it definitely has motivated us to train and work harder so that if we meet again in the future, we will hopefully come out on top,” Law said.
Sydney Lehman echoed her teammates’ sentiments, commenting, “The team is excited to come back strong from the loss for NCAAs.”
The LadyJays will take on Washington College on Saturday, April 12 at home at 12:00 p.m. for their next conference action.
Expectations are high for the previously-undefeated and still top-ranked Lady Jays as they move closer to the NCAA tournament. The top ranking will not put any undue pressure on the team, however, says Lehman.
“I do not think that there is any pressure associated with being number one because regardless of what we are ranked, we go out and play our hardest against every team.”
