After two weeks of individual competition, the UConn Women’s Tennis team returned to their usual format of school vs. school matches. This past weekend, the Huskies squared off against the University of Rhode Island, Boston University, Yale and the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Overall, the Huskies looked sharp following their two-week stretch of individual tournament play, and as a result, there were plenty of UConn players with standout performances.
vs. URI
Singles
Connecticut came out ready to roll for the first day of the invite. In singles play, they finished with a 6-2 record, highlighted by a three-set nailbiter by junior Maria Constantinou that saw her win the tiebreaker set by a score of 14-12. Every other Husky won in straight sets in a true display of dominance for the opening matches of the invite.
Doubles
UConn didn’t drop a match in doubles play against URI, going 4-0 on day one. The pairing of junior Isabel Petri Bere and freshman Caroline Hinshaw won their doubles match without dropping a game with a score of 6-0.
Overall, day one was a success for the Huskies, but day two would prove to be a tougher task.
vs. BU
Singles
After such a great showing on the first day of the invite, nobody expected the day two results. Connecticut ended the day with only one singles win out of six matches. The lone winner was Hinshaw, who defeated sophomore Emily Zhao in another three-set affair. That match ended 1-4, 4-2 and 12-10.
Doubles
The doubles results were slightly better than the singles in this one. UConn went 2-2 overall, with the pairing of junior Olivia Wright and freshman Victoria Matos winning the first doubles match of the day. Hinshaw and Petri Bere continued their strong overall performances, securing the only other win in doubles for day two.
While Hinshaw and Petri Bere had strong individual performances up to his point, the team would’ve liked to do better on day two.
vs. Yale
Singles
After a disappointing second day, Connecticut couldn’t improve much against Yale. They once again finished with a 1-5 record in singles, with Matos snagging the only win of the day. She won in three sets by a score of 2-4, 4-2, 7-2, while every other Husky was defeated in straight sets.
Doubles
Once again, UConn fared better in doubles after their less-than-ideal singles results. They finished with a total record of 2-1, kicked off by the pairing of Constantinou and senior Nansi Toskova, who got the first doubles win for the Huskies. That win was followed up by Hinshaw and Petri Bere winning by default in a match that kept their hot streaks going.
vs. UNCW
Singles
The Huskies were able to bounce back in their fourth set of matches against UNCW. After their back-to-back 1-5 singles record days, they were able to improve that to a 4-2 record. Petri Bere and Hinshaw were responsible for two of those wins, continuing their excellent play and leading the way for Connecticut.
Doubles
The Huskies capped off their return to form with a 2-1 doubles record. Wright and Matos squeaked out a 7-6 victory in match one, while Petri Bere and Hinshaw finished as they started with another dub under their belts. They won in very convincing fashion, with a score of 6-0, which brought the invite to a close.
Overall
As a team, UConn played to their standards on two of the four days. That being said, there were some great individual performances, specifically by Petri Bere and Hinshaw. Hinshaw, who is only a first-year student, produced big wins in some tough spots where the upperclassmen players couldn’t succeed. It was only fitting that the two standout singles players partnered up and dominated for Connecticut in doubles competition as well.
Next weekend, the Huskies head back to West Point, N.Y. for the ITA Super Regionals from Thursday, Oct. 19 to Sunday, Oct. 22.