By Chris Spiker
Staff Writer
The tennis teams dropped three matches last weekend, with the women (3-15, 1-4) losing at Duquesne, 7-0, last Friday and to Niagara, 6-1, Monday. The men (5-12, 1-3) lost at Niagara, 6-1, Sunday. Both teams end their regular season Saturday, hosting Xavier at 11 a.m.
Xavier (17-4, 6-0) challenges the Bonnies after defeating Marist, 4-3, and Fordham, 7-0. Freshman Zach Mueck leads the Musketeers in singles with at 16-4 third singles record. Juniors Mesa Mei and Jimmy Roebker lead Xavier in first doubles at 13-3.
Head Coach Michael Bates said he wants the men to play with intensity, grab a win and spoil Xavier’s perfect conference record just two weeks before the men’s Atlantic 10 championships in Mason, Ohio, April 25-28.
“If we can win this, it’ll really help our seeding for A-10s,” Bates said. “It will mess up a lot of teams’ seeding if we can win this match.”
Xavier’s women (15-5, 8-0) travel to Olean after beating Fordham, 4-3, Rhode Island, 5-2 and Wright State, 6-1. Freshman Alex Brinker leads the Musketeers in second singles at 19-1. Seniors Kally Alkire and Katie Pleiman lead Xavier in first doubles at 10-7.
Bates said he wants the women to gain momentum before next weekend’s women’s Atlantic 10 championships in Charlottesville, Va.
“Win or lose, we’ve got to go out there and play tough,” Bates said.
Senior Oscar Yanez led the Bonnies Sunday, scoring their only point of the match. Yanez won in second singles, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 10-8 after losing with classmate Luis Guevara 8-2 in first doubles.
Juniors Javier Ortiz and Elliot Fanshel earned the Bonnies only other victory of the match, winning in second doubles, 8-3. However, the Purple Eagles grabbed victories in first and third doubles, clinching the doubles point. Fanshel forced his first singles opponent to three sets before falling, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
Bates said he wants the men to avoid mental mistakes and attack on their returns and rallies.
“We can’t rally all day long,” Bates said. “We have to be more aggressive.”
Duquesne dominated the Bonnies Friday, winning all five singles matches in straight sets and only losing three games in two doubles matches. Sophomore Marissa Brossard won the most points in a set for the Bonnies, losing in second singles, 6-1, 6-4. Brossard and sophomore Fatya Amiri fell in first doubles, 8-3.
Bates said the Dukes provided the women with a look at their competition at the Atlantic 10 championships.
“We now know what level some of the competition is going to be,” Bates said.
Brossard earned the Bonnies’ only victory against their Little Three rival, winning in second singles, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3. Bates said the women need Brossard’s consistency to win.
“She can really play against anyone,” Bates said. “It’s hard to push her off the court because she stays up on the baseline and can take the ball early.”
The other five Bonnies fell in straight sets to the Purple Eagles in singles. Amiri forced a first-set tiebreak in first singles before losing, 7-5 (7-1), 6-3. Amiri and Brossard fought back from a 4-1 deficit to 4-3 in first doubles before losing 8-5.
Bates said the sophomore duo need to take ownership of the young Bona’s squad at the Atlantic 10 championships.
“Fatya and Marissa have to step up and know that this is their team this year and the next couple of years,” Bates said.
