The Massachusetts tennis team saw its season come to an end Saturday with a 4-0 loss to Xavier in Charlottesville, Va., in the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals. The match ended a run for the Minutewomen (16-6, 7-2 A-10) after beating Dayton and George Washington in the first and quarterfinal rounds.
The Lady Musketeers (20-6, 10-1 A-10) took the doubles point early and later earned three quick singles wins to seal the victory at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.
The doubles point resulted in what amounted to the deciding factor in the match. Xavier’s Alexandra Brinker and Andrea Wolf defeated UMass’ Sonia Bokhari and Chanel Glasper, 8-5, in the No. 3 match. The Minutewomen fought back in the No. 2 matchup as Arielle Griffin and Jessica Podlofsky took down the Lady Musketeers’ Daniella Patting and Ally Westing, 8-5.
Xavier’s No. 1 duo, Kally Alkire and Katie Pleiman, sealed the point with an 8-6 win over Chantal Swiszcz and Yuliana Motyl.
UMass coach Judy Dixon believed had they earned the doubles point, the outcome of the match could have been a lot different.
“They played three tough matches and came very close to getting the doubles,” Dixon said. “We knew to win we had to start from the bottom up.”
Xavier sealed the win with three straight set singles victories. The Lady Musketeers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a 6-2, 6-3 win by Brinker over Motyl.
Lizzie Oosterbaan defeated UMass’s Jocelyn Providence in the No. 6 matchup, and Xavier’s Pleiman earned a 7-6(6), 6-2 win in the No. 1 spot against Bokhari. Griffin, Podlofsky and Glasper all did not finish their matches for UMass due to the point difference.
The Minutewomen advanced to the semifinals after a clean sweep of Dayton, 5-0, in the first round on Thursday and a 4-2 victory over George Washington on Friday.
While the day marked an ended for the Minutewomen, Dixon believes this year’s squad was one unlike any other.
“It’s a little shocking that the last match is played and all over,” Dixon said. “This team has succeeded beyond what we imagined.”
Tennis is the only sport at UMass that plays year round, so come Monday when there is no tennis to be played, it will be a strange day for the Minutewomen.
“It’s a real comedown,” Dixon said. “We are the only sport that plays all year long with no breaks.”
Dixon does believe that this team can build on their success and carry it into next season. “We’re excited to get back out there,” Dixon said. “We are going to be stronger next year and we are looking forward to it.”
Ryan Barry can be reached at [email protected].
