Shepherd tennis, both the men’s and women’s teams, hosted Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Both teams fell to the division I Mount, defeating the women by a final score of 9-0 and the men by a final score of 8-1.
The tough match was anticipated by the team. “Mount St. Mary’s is a tough opponent,” said freshman Molly Lovern, “Our team has never beaten them, so I just expected us to go out there and do all that we could.”
All doubles matches were lost, the closest matchup being Katelyn Mumaw and Lovern with a score of 8-2. All singles matches were lost as well, none of which went past two sets.
The men’s team was all but swept in their second matchup of the fall season. Sophomore Grant Davis granted Shepherd their only win of the afternoon with a 6-2, 7-5 win at number one singles. No other match went past two sets. The closest doubles matchup was the number one doubles match where senior Steve Kolumban and senior Steven Lesko fell 8-4.
Although Mount St. Mary’s was only the second opponent the men’s team faced, they remain optimistic about their short and difficult season. “So far we have only played University of the District of Columbia and now Mount St. Mary’s,”said sophomore Will Wheatley, “Both are very good teams, but I think we are competing well.” Wheatley added that the short fall season helps the team and that they won’t get too burnt out.
The men do not play again until Oct. 12 when Shepherd hosts Chowan University. However, the women’s team is hosting the 4-6 University of Virginia’s College at Wise on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Coach Andy Bosco expects the match to be competitive. “If the girls go out and play their best, it will be a close match,” said Bosco. “We had a very close match with them last year, and we have improved since then.”