On Feb. 10, the Massachusetts women’s tennis team lost its perfect season with a loss against Boston University. The first loss of the season wasn’t particularly hard to swallow, considering it came at the hands of last year’s America East Champions.
Five days later, the Minutewomen returned to form with a win against Albany. On Wednesday, UMass (4-1) travels to Boston again for a match against Boston College.
The Eagles’ (3-1) schedule has been easy as of late, coming off victories against Buffalo, Brown and Dartmouth. The three-game win streak will be difficult to extend against UMass, as the Minutewomen continue to solidify.
Freshman Magdalena Ploch, UMass’ number one slotted player the previous two matches, is red-hot. Her singles match was one of the few bright spots for UMass last week at BU when she rallied from behind to defeat Francine Whu, last year’s America East Player of the Year. Ploch’s efforts have not gone unnoticed as she received Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors. The following day, Ploch was the recipient of the UMass/Dinn Bros. Athlete of the Week award. Ploch’s ability to strike hard makes her back-court game very effective, which separates her from the rest of the field. UMass Coach Judy Dixon knows this all too well.
‘She really likes to pound the ball from the backcourt with both the forehand and backhand, and she has a serve that can out and out win the point with one strike,’ Dixon said.
The freshman from Germany improved to 10-2 in her rookie year, holding a 5-1 record for singles and doubles. Her probable opponent against BC is senior Lana Krasnopolsky.
BC’s latest victory over Dartmouth showed its roster’s depth. Numbers two through six all won the singles matches, and the number two and three doubles teams won their matches. The doubles match-up today will be very interesting, recognizing UMass’ and BC’s undefeated doubles records. Like Boston College, UMass’ season thus far has shown the roster’s depth.‘ Players one through six all have winning records in singles, and they are not looking to end the trend.
The Minutewomen’s current number two player, Candynce Boney, is regaining her confidence in singles play after defeating Albany‘s Kim Weltman, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Boney’s doubles record is still flawless at 5-0, as she and partner Maude Lecluyse defeated Albany‘s number one team, 8-2. This UMass duo seem unbeatable; their victory over BU’s number one team was another one of those few bright spots last week. Boney and Lecluyse will remain at the number one doubles position against BC.‘
Maude Lecluyse, the number three player for the Minutewomen, looks to further dominate the number three position after defeating Albany‘s Charlotte Tatler, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4. Considered one of the team’s workhorses, Lecluyse is best known for her success in doubles.
On paper, today’s match-up represents one of the most competitive matches for the Minutewomen this season, as both teams look to strengthen their one-loss records.
Steve Levine can be reached at [email protected].
