Tennis teams teams kick off opening weekends with resounding sweeps

For both the Terrapin men's and women's tennis teams, opening weekend went just according to plan.

The women's squad, flush with young talent, reeled off victories against Navy, Syracuse and at UMBC to get the season off to a fast start. In a match-filled weekend, the men's team also devastated George Washington, UMBC and Howard to stake a 3-0 record.

"We're all excited, but there are so many new faces and players that haven't played in matches that you don't know what to expect," women's coach Howard Joffe said before the team's season opener last week.

The Terps' performance soon quelled that uneasiness, as they dominated Navy and then Syracuse two days later, winning both matches, 7-0.

Freshman Jordaan Sanford led the way against the Midshipmen with dominating performances in singles and doubles. After defeating Amanda Griffin, 6-1, 6-1, she then went on to defeat the doubles pairing of Griffin and Erin Snook, 8-0, with the help of junior Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar.

"Jordaan played really good in the match. There's so much that goes into how they play, and her athletic ability is not in question," Joffe said. "But she's a long way from home in her freshman year, and that just shows her level of maturity and her managing to compete at a high level. She's a tough nut to crack."

The team's match Saturday against Syracuse proved no different from its first. Sanford and Sanchez-Quintanar both won easily in their singles matches, and other players stepped up as well. Freshman Welma Luus got off to a poor start in her first set before taking the next two for a 1-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory.

"Syracuse has a good team, and they're well coached," Joffe said. "I know we have a pretty talented group, and this early in the season, everyone needs to get more experience."

The men's squad battled George Washington on Saturday afternoon before facing a double-header against UMBC and Howard yesterday. The quick turnaround proved of little consequence for the Terps, who dropped a combined three match points in the three overwhelming wins.

"This was a fantastic weekend for us, and we were able to play good, quality matches while getting the rust off," coach Kyle Spencer said.

In singles, where Maros Horny set the tone for Saturday with a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over the Colonials' Ugur Atalay, the Terps won five of six matches.

The Terps (3-0) repeated their performance yesterday. They won every doubles match and five singles matches against UMBC, as well as five singles matches against Howard later in the day.

"It was important to see how the guys would respond to different challenges, and it made it a big weekend toward preparing for Virginia on Friday," Spencer said, alluding to the Terps' upcoming trip to the nation's No. 1 men's tennis program.

Both squads will resume play Friday, when the men's team travels to Charlottesville, Va., to take on the Cavaliers, and the women's squad heads to the Northeast to play Boston College.

munson@umdbk.com