Women's Tennis Still Hungry To Cause A Racket

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Last season redefined a magic within the Boston College women's tennis program. Sixteen wins dotted the schedule and rewrote a record book with the most wins in over two decades. A blistering pace at the end of the year included a defining victory over Miami, and the Eagles danced in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 22 years. It was a Cinderella run, and the glass slipper cast an immortality around the team with just its second appearance all-time at the national stage.

Those memories all hang fresh over the Eagles, and one mention is enough to make anyone smile. There's almost no blemish on it except for the tinge of a new determination, one already underway with an undefeated, 6-0 start to the indoor season.

"Even older teams still have to huff and puff for every match," head coach Nigel Bentley said. "Everything requires execution. Some of these matches are so close that decisions can come down to a point here or there. So we have to embrace the situations (again), and stay in the moment so we can play well in big moments."

It's an area the Eagles know all too well already. Team tennis is a unique sport because team settings rely exclusively on individual performances. BC is undefeated, but only two of its winter matches were total shutouts. The wins over Dartmouth and Harvard both went down to the wire with 4-3 results, and both deciding matches required third set victories from respective competitors.

The former came in the No. 3 singles event after Natasha Irani lost the first set, 5-7, to Ashley Hess. She promptly won the second set, 6-3, then finished off the win, 6-4, to clinch BC's overall victory. A week later against the Crimson, it was Laura Lopez's turn, winning a grind against Natasha Gonzalez, 7-5, 6-7, 6-2 in the No. 5 singles matchup for the deciding point.

"We're gaining confidence in these matches," Bentley said. "We know we won't have a chance if we don't bring our absolute best preparation - mentally, physically and spiritually. Every team is so good that it makes winning and losing tight. We have to be ready to give our absolute best effort in every match."

It's all yielding big time performances in key results. Yufei Long defeated a nationally-ranked opponent in straight sets against Fordham in the No. 1 singles match, the first of three victories in two sets. Freshman Hailey Wilcox stood especially tall against the Rams, polishing off a 6-3, 6-3 victory for her second career victory.

Overall, Irani and Lopez remain undefeated since 2020 began, and Wilcox hasn't lost since the year began. Dasha Possokhova pushed through three set victories against both UMass and Brown University, rallying from second set losses against both opponents. Long is 4-1 in the top singles slot since dropping an opening match singles match against Dartmouth, and Elene Tsokilauri is undefeated in both the No. 5 and No. 6 singles spot for the Eagles.

Almost everyone has at least one key victory in doubles, including Long and Kylie Wilcox's 6-4 victory against Brown and Loren Haukova's 6-4 win with Reagan Posorske against Fordham.

"The competition level is intense against everyone," Irani said. "There are no easy matches against anyone. Going into these matches requires everyone to think about a battle because the top of all of these lineups are always going to remain competitive."

"We try to stay even keeled," Bentley said. "We've proven many times, even in past years, that we're never out of a match. If we're behind, staying positive can get that spark going to feel better about our direction. A few points lead to a few points, and that rallies everyone right back into a set or whatever might happen in a match. We really don't try to overreact to anything because staying focused in the moment makes us successful."

The wins conjure memories of the team's 9-0 start from last year, but it doesn't necessarily identically echo the success. BC is still essentially the same roster from last year after losing only one player, but every year defines and redefines athletes with a different construction. It operates within a culture built by 2019's success, but BC is avoiding an attempt at full replication.

"We only lost Jackie Urbinati from last year's team," Bentley said. "But Jackie was a great player who worked so hard. What she did was fabulous, and she really set the tone as a captain. We only lost one player, but it was a big piece for us to lose. Even so, we're gelling a roster and becoming a new team (for this year)."

"We had a great year last year," Irani said. "It allows us to bring confidence to this year. I feel like we have a big team that works to our advantage. It creates good chemistry. We all root each other on, and it pulls everyone up if someone is having a bad day. We're competitive in practice, so we can't take any day lightly. Everything is treated like a match, and it forces everyone to improve their game."

It's a mentality that will face a stiff test starting with Friday's match against Yale. The Bulldogs are 2-0 to start the indoor, 2020 portion of the year and only dropped one match in their first two competitions. They swept Quinnipiac, 7-0, last Saturday, one week after beating St. John's by a 6-1 margin. Of those two meets, every match went straight sets, with the only two sets lost in the No. 1 singles competition against the Red Storm. That was a massive upset against No. 33-ranked Samantha Martinelli, one of three seeds ranked for Yale in the national polls.

It's a precursor to the start of ACC season against No. 11 Virginia on Sunday. The Cavaliers still have to pass through a non-conference meeting against Richmond but are expected to remain undefeated in time for their trip to Chestnut Hill. Earlier this spring, Virginia beat two nationally-ranked teams, including Tennessee, and boasts three players in the national individual polls.

"Virginia's a great team," Bentley said. "The ACC qualified six teams for the indoor national championships. Getting six teams into (the tournament) is by far the most of any league in the country. The league was always incredibly strong, and now it's getting better. Every team is loaded, and we have to be super ready. I'm sure we will be, but we know (these matches) will require our best effort. We've had success against higher-ranked, individual players, and hopefully we can take a withdrawal from the deposits we've put in our bank."

"I remember Virginia as my first ACC match to open my freshman year," Irani said. "I remember the excitement building up to playing them. That's how we all feel this year, and we're hoping to use some of our home court advantage against them (on Sunday) for sure."

The Eagles will head to Yale on Friday for a 5 p.m. meet against Yale, which is available for broadcast on ESPN3. Sunday will be contested at 10 a.m. in the Connell Recreation Center.

Women's Tennis Still Hungry To Cause A Racket

Players Mentioned

Loren Haukova

Natasha Irani

Yufei Long

Laura Lopez

Reagan Posorske

Dasha Possokhova

Elene Tsokilauri

Jackie Urbinati

Hailey Wilcox

Kylie Wilcox

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