After losing four straight matches on the road to ranked teams, the Terrapins men’s tennis team hopes to bounce back in two home matches this weekend. It hosts ACC rival Boston College today and Oklahoma tomorrow.
The Eagles (4-5, 0-3 ACC) should give the Terps a good chance of breaking their recent losing streak. Boston College has lost both of its away matches so far this season, and has dropped three of four matches against ranked opponents. They are coming off a 6-1 win over Villanova, however.
Overall, the Terps are looking to improve their play in all phases of the match. The team has done well in its doubles matches, but even those have lacked consistency in recent matches.
Singles matches, however, have never been consistent. The Terps hope to turn that around against Boston College – a squad that’s won just 19 of 48 singles matches this season.
The Terps will face a tougher challenge tomorrow against No. 31 Oklahoma (6-2). The Sooners come into the match on a two-match winning streak, and have won five of their last six.
Coach Kyle Spencer’s team may seemingly have little chance to win this match – especially since it just dropped four consecutive matches to ranked opponents. But that’s misleading because the team is currently 1-1 in matches against ranked opponents at home this season.
After their match against Oklahoma the Terps will have five days off before they travel south to face Clemson.
The women’s tennis team, currently on a two-game losing streak, will also play this weekend, when they travel down to Charlottesville, Va., to face rival Virginia.
The No. 70 Terps (6-6, 0-2 ACC) are currently riding a two-game losing streak, and will have a tall task when it faces the No. 7 Cavaliers (10-2, 3-0 ACC) on the road. While the team has as many road wins as home victories, it performs better on the road, beating teams by at least two points in all of its away contests.
The Cavaliers are currently on a four-match winning streak, with their only two losses coming at the hands of No. 10 Baylor and No. 13 Northwestern.
After the Cavaliers, the Terps will have six-day break before hosting Georgia Tech.
walker@umdbk.com
