Tennis falters against tough road competition

For the Terrapin men's and women's tennis teams, spring break offered little respite from stiff competition.

The men traveled to Kentucky and North Carolina for four matches against teams ranked among the top 35 programs in the country. The No. 43 Terps (9-7, 1-4) failed to win a match, losing to No. 34 Louisville, No. 14 Kentucky, No. 15 North Carolina and No. 9 Duke.

The women, rising in the rankings and winners of five straight matches, went into the break preparing to face three teams in the top 20. Although they pulled off a shocking upset over conference foe No. 17 Virginia, they couldn't achieve similar results against No. 3 North Carolina or No. 4 Duke.

The men's team came into its match at Duke yesterday on a downward spiral. After losing at Kentucky and against the Tar Heels, the Terps were without a victory since March 4, when they defeated Western Michigan in the HEB Tournament of Champions in Texas. They were unable to get back on the winning track and lost to the Blue Devils, 6-1, in their fifth straight loss.

The Blue Devils' front line of players proved formidable, once again showing why they're one of the top powers in the ACC. Duke's top four singles players, including No. 9 Reid Carleton and No. 11 Henrique Cunha, all won their matches in straight sets. In doubles, the matches were up for grabs, but the tandem of Carleton and Cunha, ranked fourth nationally, was too strong for the Terps' duo of junior Maros Horny and freshman Jan Surovic to survive, losing, 8-4. The No. 70 doubles partnership of Tommy Laine and John Collins was also unable to win its close 8-6 battle.

However, there were bright spots to be found in the defeat at Durham, N.C. Sophomore Andy Magee stood tall against Duke's Luke Marchese, only faltering after a 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (11-9) score. Sophomore Jesse Kiuru, who won in both his singles and doubles matches against the Tar Heels, emerged victorious with a 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4) win.

"I'm really proud of the guys fighting back in three matches after losing the first set so quickly," Terp coach Kyle Spencer said of Kiuru and Magee's efforts. "We had chances in singles and doubles that we didn't take, which ultimately cost us."

Spencer acknowledged the team's shortcoming of late but remained positive. The Terps did perform considerably well against the nation's top programs, and it will be easier to see how much they benefited from the tough competition when they come home this weekend to play ACC foes No. 58 Clemson and No. 21 Georgia Tech.

"We lost to a championship-caliber team today, but I'm excited for the rest of the season," he said. "The guys are fighting hard and improving greatly."

The women's team, in contrast, entered its match against Duke with considerable momentum. They had just defeated No. 17 Virginia for their sixth straight victory before falling to the third-ranked team in the nation in North Carolina, 5-2. The No. 24 Terps (11-4, 1-4) also were unable to beat the Blue Devils at home, losing, 6-1.

This loss, however, held redeeming qualities as well. Junior Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar, named the ACC Player of the Week after the upset over the Cavaliers, beat No. 50 Nadine Fohoum, 6-2, 6-1, to remain undefeated in singles play, where she holds a 14-0 record. She and her doubles partner, Jordaan Sanford, also recovered from their first doubles loss in Chapel Hill and won their match, 8-2.

Terp coach Howard Joffe, though, was more concerned with the big picture after the loss.

"While they are losses, the competitive nature of the matches [vs. North Carolina and Duke] reflects the program's trajectory," he said, referring to the Terps' recent rise into the top-25 rankings. "If I was the Duke or UNC coach, this weekend would concern me enormously."

The top-notch competition the women's team is facing won't let up, though. As they look to gain one or multiple ACC victories to pad their resumé, the Terps will take on No. 20 Georgia Tech and No. 15 Clemson on the road this weekend.

nmunson@umdbk.com