The Massachusetts women’s tennis team battled through a challenging weekend of competition on March 7 and 8, traveling from Cambridge to Amherst for back-to-back matches. The Minutewomen (8-3) opened the weekend at the Berens Tennis Center with a hard 4-1 loss against Harvard on Saturday afternoon. UMass returned to Amherst on Sunday at the Bay Road Indoor Tennis Center to face off against the University of New Haven, where it took a 4-0 win.
In doubles play Saturday, the Minutewomen stumbled against the Crimson (8-5), who swept all three matchups. Each doubles match was decided in a single set, with Harvard securing victories across the board to claim the doubles points. UMass showed strong teamwork and competitive rallies, although it still struggled to maintain consistency against the Crimson’s precise and aggressive play.
Bouncing back from their Saturday setback, the Minutewomen came out strong Sunday to capture a decisive win over the Chargers (5-3). Every singles match was wrapped up in straight sets, as UMass won the opening two sets every time. They had a commanding performance that left three matches unfinished, as the team had already secured the overall victory.
Freshman Madara Markevica highlighted Saturday’s match for the Minutewomen, grinding out a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Anna-Raphaëlle Serghi. She was the lone UMass player to claim a set against Harvard on Saturday.
Markevica carried her strong play into Sunday’s matchup against New Haven. Teaming up with sophomore Martina Pavissich in doubles, the pair dominated their opening set, sweeping 6-0. The freshman also found success in singles play, taking the first set 6-1 before the match was left unfinished after the Minutewomen clinched the overall victory.
Pavissich faced a challenging start in her first set against the Chargers, battling fiercely to barely edge out her opponent, Pierina Lescher. Once she found her rhythm, the sophomore began to take control of the match, building a lead. However, the match remained unfinished, with the score standing at 2-1 when play was stopped.
UMass claimed the doubles point with Ella Faessler and Renata Farima defeating New Haven’s Pierina Lescher and Victoria Togores 6-1.
Faessler secured the first point against the Chargers with her dominant 6-1 and 6-0 performance over Togores, and Tye made it a 3-0 match with her victory over Valentinna Ferrarini. Fiona Ao clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Sofia Lázaro.
Junior Amanda de Oliveira competed in a tightly contested singles match against Harvard’s Natasha Rajaram. De Oliveira battled through a competitive first set but ultimately fell short in a 7-6 loss. The second set was still in progress, with Rajaram falling behind 1-4, when play was also halted after the Crimson secured the overall match victory.
On Sunday, De Oliveira teamed up with fellow junior Amelia Tye in doubles against the Chargers, falling in a close 3-4 matchup. Despite the narrow loss, it was the only set the Minutewomen dropped all day, as they dominated the rest of the matches to secure a strong overall victory.
UMass will remain in Amherst for its next match on March 13, to face off against Bowling Green University, the time is yet to be announced. After a weekend of intense matches, the Minutewomen will be looking to carry their energy forward and showcase depth in both singles and doubles play.
Ashley Son can be reached at [email protected].
