Men's tennis leaves Texas with a win, a loss and missed plans

Heading into the HEB Tournament of Champions in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Friday, the Terrapin men's tennis team had high hopes for a strong showing. But thanks to its own inconsistencies and Mother Nature, those aspirations never come to fruition for the Terps, who came home with a first-round win and nothing else.

The No. 45 Terps (9-3) started strong with a dominating performance over their first-round opponent, Western Michigan. Aside from a lone defeat for the Terps' Sergio Wyss in singles competition, the Terps had little difficulty handling the Broncos (6-7). The doubles pairs of junior Maros Horny and sophomore Andy Magee, along with junior John Collins and freshman Jan Surovic, secured the doubles point for the Terps, and Collins, Tommy Laine and Jesse Kiuru all emerged victorious in their singles matches. Collins won his fifth straight singles match with an impressive 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 win.

The same dominance, though, was hard to find in their next match against No. 50 Brigham Young (8-4). In night-and-day fashion from their previous match, the Terps failed to win a single bout, losing to the Cougars, 4-0. With the absence of doubles matches, the outcome was decided with just singles play, and the Terps failed to adjust. Collins, Wyss, Magee and Laine all lost in straight sets, breaking their five-match winning streak.

The Terps never got the chance to rebound, either. Due to storms in the Corpus Christi area, their Saturday match against Purdue was canceled. Although their play was inconsistent, coach Kyle Spencer's reaction to the weekend was generally positive.

"It was a very good weekend for the team," Spencer said. "To play in such a prestigious tournament coupled with our first outdoor matches of the season was fantastic for us. We had so many guys stay tough in some rough situations. These matches gave us some more valuable experience we need to battle in the rough ACC."

The Terps will have plenty of time to ponder their performance. The team is off until March 21, when they will make a Kentucky road trip and compete against No. 20 Louisville and then No. 12 Kentucky the following day.

The Terrapin women, meanwhile, are still turning heads with their impressive play. On Saturday, in their fourth victory against Ivy League opponents, the No. 43 Terps (9-2) downed No. 56 Princeton, 5-2. The win was the Terps' third over a ranked opponent on the season.

Junior Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar won for the 10th straight time this season in singles play with a 6-1, 7-6 (10-1) victory over Princeton's Hilary Bartlett. She also remained perfect in doubles play as well, combining with freshman partner Jordaan Sanford to improve to 11-0 with an 8-2 win. Sophomore Ana Belzunce remained unblemished in singles play as well after a 6-4, 7-5 (10-1) victory.

"I'm really pleased with how the team performed today," assistant coach Dianne Matias said. "All the matches were tough, but our girls came out prepared for a hard fight and maintained a calm demeanor throughout their whole match."

The win marked the first time the Terp women have knocked off a ranked opponent at home since February 2007. That accomplishment, added to the progress the team has made all season, had players obviously excited this weekend.

"I'm so proud of the way everyone fought today," senior Julia Huschke said. "The girls from Princeton are fighters, so it was great that we were able to compete well and win. We are a young team and still have room to improve, but we are putting in the hard work and really looking forward to getting into the thick of our ACC season."

munson@umdbk.com