Home stretch looms for tennis teams

By: Brendan Burris ~Staff Writer~

Over the last month, the men’s tennis team has won five of its last six matches and is gearing up for the final stretch of its season.

With wins over Villanova, Western Illinois, Dayton, Abilene Christian and Wright State, the team is certainly hitting its stride and playing its best tennis at the right time in the season.

The one loss, at home to the Marquette Golden Eagles, saw the Musketeers fail to pick up any doubles points and gained their two singles wins courtesy of sophomore Jeremy Schneider and freshman Gabriel Chaves Araujo.

Following the loss, the team bounced back effectively, defeating the Villanova Wildcats 6-1.
The teams of junior Zach Mueck and sophomore Matt Bishop and Schneider and freshman Arthur Stefani scored doubles points for the Musketeers, while Mueck, Bishop, Schneider, Stefani and Araujo all won their singles matchups in convincing fashion.

Before the two conference matchups, the Musketeers completed their four-game winning streak with a full sweep of the Western Illinois Leathernecks.

Freshman Gabriel Chaves Araujo reaches for a return hit in a match this season.
Freshman Gabriel Chaves Araujo reaches for a return hit in a match this season.

The Musketeers tested a new lineup during the matchup and didn’t lose a single match the whole day.

With interesting doubles combinations such as pairing freshman Connor LaFarve and senior Michael Moe, the matchup was too much for Western Illinois to handle. The team certainly would benefit from keep this form up as it heads into the final stretch of the season.

With two non-conference matches left in the season against Western Michigan and Northern Kentucky and the final two conference matchups against Butler and Creighton, the team stands at 10-4 overall, 7-2 at home and 1-2 in the conference.

The Musketeers are a relatively young team, with only two seniors graduating at the end of the season.

Experience will certainly be paramount for the team next year, with the team’s current success helping the underclassmen gain valuable experience.

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, the team has also won five of its last six matches, with the most recent being a 5-2 victory against Marquette.

Big wins by Sydney Liggins, Alex Brinker, Amina Ismali and Cristina Di Lorenzo. With eight matches to go, the team is 9-4 overall, 4-1 at home and 1-1 in the conference.

After the regular season, the teams will then head to the Big East Conference Tournament, location and time to be determined.