Looking for its third consecutive win in as many weeks and a .500 conference record, the Terrapins men’s tennis team will travel west on Route 66 today to play ACC foe Virginia Tech.
The No. 39 Terps (3-4, 0-1 ACC) travel to Blacksburg, Va., seeking their first ACC and road win of the season against No. 37 Virginia Tech (3-2, 1-0). The Hokies come into the match touting a recent win over Boston College on the road, and they’ll be looking to win their first home game of the season versus the Terps.
“It’s not too hard to get up for an ACC team,” coach Kyle Spencer said. “We like playing on the road; we get up for that. No matter where we’re playing our team is up for the challenge. We’re due for a good road win.”
Spencer’s confidence in his team derives from its strong play in recent weeks. Since the Terps’ loss to Virginia on Feb. 8, the team has showed improved fundamentals and better effort in tight matches.
“Anytime the northern schools meet up, there is a border war,” Spencer said. “Since I have coached here, it has been a very competitive series. We’re expecting a tough match — VT is going to push us, and we’re going to step up to the challenge.”
Also on a two-game win streak is the Terrapins women’s team, which will travel to New York on Sunday to play Columbia. This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams, with the Terps leading the series, 3-0, including a win last year in College Park.
The No. 50 Terps (4-4. 0-1) will look for continued strong play in singles. After winning five of six singles matches against William & Mary on Sunday, the team is hoping for much of the same against the No. 70 Lions (5-1), who are coming off a 2-1 performance in the ECAC Team Tournament.
The team’s doubles game will be tested on the high court again this week, where the No. 20 duo of sophomore Welma Luus and junior Ana Belzunce play Columbia’s No. 28 pairing of Crystal Leung and Nicole Bartnik. The Terps’ partnership lost, 8-3, to William & Mary’s unranked pair and will look to rebound this weekend.
walker@umdbk.com
