After a nearly two-month-long stretch of road play, Fordham Women’s Tennis finally found themselves in the comfort of their home on Saturday, March 2, when they took on George Washington University. Due to persistent rain, the match was moved from the McShane-adjacent Hawthorn/Rooney Courts to the Cary Leeds Center in Crotona Park.
The Rams got back on their feet on Saturday following a two-week rest; they last played on the weekend of Feb. 17, where they lost to Kansas State and Wichita State in Kansas. The team’s extra time off showed in play, where they bounced back brilliantly against their rival Colonials. The Rams have seen mixed results in doubles this season, but started the match by winning two of three in the category — freshman Anlin Xie and graduate student Raffaela Alhach won #1 doubles 6-4, while seniors Rose Hu and Eleni Fasoula snatched #2 with ease, 6-2.
Staying on the forehand, the club gave the Colonials a good fight across the board at singles. No match went three sets, but all were competitive between the Atlantic 10 foes; Fordham secured two more points behind Hu’s 6-3, 6-4 #2 singles performance, as well as freshman Cindy Zhou’s 7-5, 6-2 win at #3. Graduate students Demi Jhaveri and Franny Shea captured crucial wins down the line, taking their #5 and #6 singles games 6-2, 6-2 and 6-4, 6-3, respectively. The Rams’ 5-2 team victory moves them to an outstanding 3-0 in conference play while advancing 4-4 overall.
The win comes in the wake of one of the program’s longest and toughest road trips ever, but coach Michael Sowter lauded the team’s resilience against a GWU team that posed a legitimate threat: “Credit to GWU, they competed really well so I’m happy with how the team responded.”
This match is also the first since A-10 preseason awards were announced; the Rams took home several honors at the individual and team levels. Foremost, the reigning conference champs were ranked second out of 13 in the conference, trailing only Virginia Commonwealth University. The Rams were given three first-place votes to VCU’s eight. That said, when the two teams matched up in the A-10 finals last year, it was Fordham that took home the trophy in a 4-1 win. Further, Fordham filled the all-conference list, which featured Alhach, Hu and Xie. The three stars, all newcomers, hope to help lead the team to its second A-10 championship.
Coach Sowter added that he’s eager for the team to travel to Providence, R.I., to take a crack at Brown University’s squad. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m. this Saturday, where the Rams aspire to go above .500 for the first time this season. They’ll have their work cut out for them though, with the Bears sitting at 5-5 overall and a remarkable 3-0 on their home courts.
