Patriot League: For the BU women’s varsity tennis team, championships appear to come in waves. After capturing the America East title for the first time in 1990. The Terriers went on to win 22 more in a row through the 2011 season. Also, the Terriers then won four straight Patriot League championships from 2014 to 2017, just a year after joining the league. The squad is now on the verge of winning another set of titles. The Terriers defeated Navy 4-3 last year to win the 2021 Patriot Conference championship. They are hoping for another title this weekend at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., where they are the top-seeded team in the league.
Head coach Lesley Sheehan said.
“We have a chance to go to the NCAAs, which is something that not every school can boast,” says head coach Lesley Sheehan (CGS’82, Wheelock’84). “This is what we want to do, and we have to do, given the history and the expectations.”
The Terriers have won seven straight games, including a 5-2 win against the Navy in the season finale on April 16, a rematch of the 2021 championship game. Before this weekend’s competition, BU snatched the regular-season championship and the top seed from the Navy.
“Navy is a quality squad that has had a great year. “We expected them to be quite difficult,” Sheehan said. “They were up 1-0, and the team came back to win five of the six singles matches,” Sheeran also added.
Furthermore, the formula was the same as a year earlier. When the Terriers won six consecutive games to win the league tournament. With a pair of 4-0 victories, BU defeated Lafayette and Bucknell. Also, laying the groundwork for the title-clinching 4-3 victory over the Navy.
Kaitlin Tan
However, Kaitlin Tan was awarded the 2021 Tournament MVP and Rookie of the Year as a freshman alongside former captain Lily Burchell. They also contributed to the title-winning effort. Both Victoria Carlsten and Erica Di Battista, both current Terriers, won a single match to defeat the Navy. This year, Tan, Carlsten, and Di Battista have all returned as major participants. Also, Carlsten has had a breakout season, with a perfect 5-0 conference record. On the other hand, Shelly Yaloz and Sydney Sharma have many Patriot League victories.
Sheehan said that the number of players who have contributed to the team’s success this season impressed her. “This year, we have a deep meaning,” she explains. We’ve had to replace some workers due to injuries or sickness, and they’ve stepped up. “And we’ve had a great season to play in.”
Patriot League: Lafayette vs Holy Cross in Tennis
On Friday, April 22, the Terriers will open their title defense against Lafayette, which beat Holy Cross in the tournament’s first match on Thursday. On Saturday, April 23, the winner of Friday’s match will face four-seed Loyola Maryland or five-seed Bucknell in the semifinal. While two-seed Navy, three-seed Army West Point, six-seed Colgate, and seven-seed Lehigh play on the other side of the bracket. On Sunday, April 24, the championship match will take place.
Patriot League: While the squad will concentrate on winning one match at a time, Sheehan says she will keep an eye on other contenders and strong rivals. Also, Army West Point and Navy as the tournament progresses. “Anytime you can get them to play each other, that’s a huge benefit.” Three doubles matches and six singles matches make up each team’s competition. In terms of strategy, the coach believes that a great doubles performance may pave the way for a single victory.
“You definitely want to win the doubles point because it gives you an advantage,” she explains, “but if you don’t win the doubles point, you still have six more singles points.” “In the past, our singles have been powerful and steady, and I believe our doubles have been as well.”
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