The Marquette men’s and women’s tennis teams each finished the regular season on a high note, as each team won its final game of the regular season. The men notched a pair of 6-1 wins against Wright State Friday and DePaul Sunday on Senior Day, while the women’s team lost to DePaul 6-1 Friday before beating Seton Hall 6-1 Sunday for its Senior Day celebration.
The women’s team opened up the final weekend against DePaul, the best team in the Big East and ranked No. 37 in the nation. Marquette’s only win came in the No. 2 spot, as junior Erin Gebes defeated her opponent 2-6, 6-4, 1-0. DePaul opened the match by sweeping the doubles round and then closed out the match by winning three straight spots after Gebes opened singles play with her win. Senior Ana Pimienta lost at No. 1 2-6, 1-6, senior Ali Dawson lost 2-6, 0-6 at No. 4 and No. 3 sophomore Diana Tokar lost 1-6, 4-6 to clinch the victory for DePaul.
The men’s team kickstarted the winning streak with its dominating 6-1 victory against Wright State. Marquette opened up doubles play with a win at No. 3 by Andre Romanello/Kristiyan Trukov 6-1, but couldn’t get the doubles point as the Golden Eagles lost at No. 1 6-3 and No. 2 6-4. It would be the only point of the day.
Marquette swept singles play against the Raiders, giving them the victory for the day. The Golden Eagles started the streak with senior Vukasin Teofanovic winning the No. 2 spot 6-1, 6-3. Following him was senior Cameron Tehrani’s 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 6 and sophomore Mackenzie Stearns with the 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5. Trukov clinched the victory with a 6-2, 6-4 win at the No. 4 spot. Junior Daniel Fernandez saw resistance from the Raiders, as he lost his first set before battling back and winning the point 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, and sophomore Nick Dykema needed three sets to complete the sweep as he won the No. 3 spot 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
The women’s team celebrated Senior Day Sunday and capped off the day with a 6-1 win, snapping a three-game losing streak. The Golden Eagles won six straight points and were primed for the sweep, but the Pirates stopped the attempt with a win at No. 6.
Marquette opened the match with a convincing win in doubles play. Pimienta/Gebes won the No. 1 spot 8-4 and Dawson/Aleeza Kanner won No. 2 8-1. The women’s team then went on to win its next five singles matches. Tokar kicked off the run with a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 3, followed by Dawson’s 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 4. Pimienta clinched the victory for her and the rest of the seniors with her 6-1, 6-3 win at the No. 1 spot. Marquette’s bid for the sweep continued with freshman Paula Tormos Sanchez’s 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5 and the No. 2 win of 6-3, 6-2 by Gebes. The only Golden Eagle to lose was senior Vanessa Foltinger, who fell 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 at No. 6.
The men’s team completed the combined winning streak with its Senior Day festivities, as the team defeated DePaul 6-1 in decisive fashion.
The Golden Eagles started doubles play with a win at No. 1 by Teofanovic/Dykema, who won 8-4. Stearns/Fernandez sealed the point with their thrilling 8-7 victory. Marquette started singles play with Fernanadez winning No. 1 6-1, 6-3 and Tehrani winning No. 6 6-2, 6-4. Teofanovic, another senior, clinched the victory with his 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 2. After clinching, Trukov continued Marquette’s dominance with a 7-6, 6-3 win at No. 4 before Dykema fell at No. 3 3-6, 6-3, 7-6. Closing out the regular season was Stearns, who won his tightly contested match 7-6, 7-6.
Both the men and women’s teams built momentum heading into the Big East Championships in Indianapolis, with the men’s team ranked No. 2 and women’s team ranked No. 4. The men open up against No. 7 Creighton Friday, while the women face No. 5 Georgetown Friday as well.
