By: Isabel Smith ~Staff Writer~

Men’s tennis kicked off a busy weekend with a win over Georgetown last Friday in Washington, D.C. The Musketeers found victory on the road with their 5-2 win. The match marked Xavier’s first Big East competition of the spring season.

In singles, redshirt senior Matt Bishop defeated Georgetown’s Peter Beatty 7-6(3), 6-0. Four other Musketeers won their respective singles matches. Senior Jeremy Schneider, sophomore Jack Dykema, sophomore Trent Smith and junior Gabriel Araujo defeated the Hoyas.

In doubles, Bishop and Araujo took down Georgetown in their No. 1 match 7-5.

The Musketeers continued road play at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., the following day. Xavier fell to the Tribe 6-1.

The Musketeers struggled against a tough William & Mary team, but Bishop still secured a win in his No. 1 singles match against Aidan Talcott 7-5, 7-5.

Xavier’s record fell to 4-10 following the match.

Men’s tennis faces Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on March 31 in Indianapolis.

Xavier women’s tennis also began spring Big East play. The Musketeers utilized experience from their toughest non-conference schedule to date to prepare for Big East competition. Xavier faced Marquette on Saturday at Eastern Hills Tennis Club in Cincinnati. Xavier carried momentum from its victory against the Troy Trojans earlier in the month to win 5-2 over the Golden Eagles.

Sophomore Sophia Abelson played an integral role in Xavier’s win. She went 2-0 in the match. Abelson won her No. 5 singles match 6-2, 6-0. She also defeated Marquette with sophomore Zoe Manion in No. 3 doubles 6-3.

Senior Sydney Liggins secured a win in No. 1 singles and in No. 2 doubles with Rachael Reichenbach. Senior Cristina Di Lorenzo defeated her competition in No. 2 singles. Junior Lauren Ghidotti also won in No. 3 singles. Di Lorenzo and Ghidotti fell in No. 1 singles to the Golden Eagles 6-2.

Following the match, Xavier improved to 6-7 this season. The Musketeers put a stop to Marquette’s four-match win streak as the Golden Eagles fell to 8-5 this season.

Women’s tennis faces Providence on Saturday and Seton Hall on Sunday. Both matches take place on the road in South Orange, NJ.