Women’s tennis suffered losses this past weekend in Baltimore, falling to both Loyola and Morgan State. On Saturday, the Greyhounds dominated, claiming a 7-0 win. The Raiders had no time to recover and couldn’t quite contend with Morgan State, losing 0-4.

Loyola took two out of the three doubles matches. Sophomores Hannah Fleckenstein and Kaelin Brittin were able to find their rhythm, and defeated Loyola’s Julie Clark and Nicole Eberle 8-3. Flekenstein feels that she plays well with Brittin because they are able to feed off each other. Flekenstein also noted that overall she feels that the team comes off stronger in doubles. 

Head Coach Bobby Pennington discussed how No. 2 doubles were able to take a win. 

“Kaelin Brittin and Hannah Fleckenstein work really well together as a team. They play off each other’s strengths very well, Kaelin’s consistency with Hannah’s finishing.” Pennington explained how this year’s team is very young, with no seniors and only two juniors. He emphasized how it is important for everyone to get more match experience and toughness in order to succeed overall.

The Greyhounds took all six singles matches, winning five of six matchups in straight sets, giving them a clean sweep. Coach Pennington appraised Loyola’s lineup, commenting on their depth and consistency. They held a lot of talent, especially in their six singles positions. 

The team’s trip ended in a matchup against Morgan State which also proved to be a tough opponent. The Bears won 4-0. The Raiders put up a good fight in doubles, but Morgan State’s singles lineup was just too much for them. 

According to junior captain Jennifer Ho, Morgan State was a very strong and aggressive team. Ho explained how they were all very talented, but also very vocal and intense. She felt that the team remained very involved and supportive for each match. Ho expressed that each match was hard-fought.

“I am incredibly proud of how everyone on our team played this weekend. Kaelin Brittin and Kirstie Woodbury played some of the best tennis I’ve seen them play all year at #2 and #5 singles. Even though we didn’t come out on top this weekend, it was a very encouraging trip. We are really coming together as a team and our play is peaking at the start of our most important stretch in the season leading up to Patriot League Championships.”

Sophomore Kaelin Brittin also touched on how the team brought a lot of positive energy to the matches despite facing challenging lineups. 

“I’m really proud of how the team played against Loyola and Morgan State this weekend,” she said. “We handled ourselves well on the court and despite the losses we are even more prepared for the upcoming Patriot League Tournament.”

After facing two high quality teams, the Raiders are looking to regroup before squaring off against the rest of their Patriot League opponents. 

“We’re just trying to get healthy, we’re trying to get stronger, physically and mentally,” Coach Pennington said. “We have a big stretch, Bucknell, Lehigh, and Lafayette coming up, so we’re just trying to gain more experience for this young team so hopefully they can keep their

confidence up.” 

Ho has high hopes for the rest of the season. 

“My goals for the rest of the season are to keep improving individually and as a team,” she said. “I also want to win the rest of our conference matches, such as Bucknell this weekend and Lehigh and Lafayette next weekend. And the main end goal is to perform well at Patriot

League Championships.”

Colgate’s record suffered from this weekend’s setbacks, falling to 5-9 overall in the league. The Raiders will hit the courts again on April 4 with a 10 a.m. match at the Patriot League contest

at Bucknell.