This weekend will present important tests for both Terrapin tennis teams, but for entirely different reasons.
Fresh off two upsets against ranked teams, the women's team will look to continue its soaring start Sunday against ACC foe Virginia Tech. The No. 57 Terps haven't won an ACC game in almost three years, and the weekend slate offers a prime opportunity to snap that streak.
The No. 63 men's squad, meanwhile, will look to follow a 5-2 loss at home against No. 30 Virginia Tech with bounce-back successes against two unranked teams this weekend. Coach Kyle Spencer hopes that matches against UNC-Wilmington and Radford will lead them back to their winning ways.
"They're both very good programs that have a history of making it to the NCAAs," Spencer said. "We have to get out on a positive note from the start and stay disciplined and have a lot of energy throughout the matches."
To be successful this weekend, the Terps will count on sophomore Tommy Laine. The Finn has been very consistent for the Terps, prevailing in every singles match this season (5-1) besides his battle with Justin Shane of No. 1 Virginia.
"Tommy has done great for us so far," Spencer said. "He's a super-hard worker in practice. Even if he doesn't have his best stuff one day, he'll always give us 100 percent effort. He also is a real, positive force of energy that affects the team."
The women's team, meanwhile, continues to soar. As soon as the Terps leaped into the ITA Rankings for the first time in four years after their win over Brown two weeks ago, they proved their recent success was no fluke with a win against No. 55 Harvard last weekend.
"It's definitely a good thing," coach Howard Joffe said of the team's position. "It's an emblem of what we've been doing at a grand level. Teams sometimes get seduced to being content with the rankings and lose sight of what we've set out to do, which is to be a strong team that competes nationally for a long time."
The Hokies' unranked standing has handed the Terps (5-1) what might seem like an unusual challenge. As a rare favorite in an ACC matchup, the Terps could have a target on their backs for the first time in a while. Joffe, however, believes there is still much to be done to be a consistent threat.
"In my mind, we're not a favorite," Joffe said. "Virginia Tech has a very good team, and we still haven't won an ACC match in a while. But our real, long-term goal isn't to beat Virginia Tech, but to become a top-10 team nationally and perform well every time we go out there."
Fresh off two upsets against ranked teams, the women's team will look to continue its soaring start Sunday against ACC foe Virginia Tech. The No. 57 Terps haven't won an ACC game in almost three years, and the weekend slate offers a prime opportunity to snap that streak.
The No. 63 men's squad, meanwhile, will look to follow a 5-2 loss at home against No. 30 Virginia Tech with bounce-back successes against two unranked teams this weekend. Coach Kyle Spencer hopes that matches against UNC-Wilmington and Radford will lead them back to their winning ways.
"They're both very good programs that have a history of making it to the NCAAs," Spencer said. "We have to get out on a positive note from the start and stay disciplined and have a lot of energy throughout the matches."
To be successful this weekend, the Terps will count on sophomore Tommy Laine. The Finn has been very consistent for the Terps, prevailing in every singles match this season (5-1) besides his battle with Justin Shane of No. 1 Virginia.
"Tommy has done great for us so far," Spencer said. "He's a super-hard worker in practice. Even if he doesn't have his best stuff one day, he'll always give us 100 percent effort. He also is a real, positive force of energy that affects the team."
The women's team, meanwhile, continues to soar. As soon as the Terps leaped into the ITA Rankings for the first time in four years after their win over Brown two weeks ago, they proved their recent success was no fluke with a win against No. 55 Harvard last weekend.
"It's definitely a good thing," coach Howard Joffe said of the team's position. "It's an emblem of what we've been doing at a grand level. Teams sometimes get seduced to being content with the rankings and lose sight of what we've set out to do, which is to be a strong team that competes nationally for a long time."
The Hokies' unranked standing has handed the Terps (5-1) what might seem like an unusual challenge. As a rare favorite in an ACC matchup, the Terps could have a target on their backs for the first time in a while. Joffe, however, believes there is still much to be done to be a consistent threat.
"In my mind, we're not a favorite," Joffe said. "Virginia Tech has a very good team, and we still haven't won an ACC match in a while. But our real, long-term goal isn't to beat Virginia Tech, but to become a top-10 team nationally and perform well every time we go out there."
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