5/13/2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Georgetown?s women?s tennis team ended the 2003-2004 season with a record of 2 wins and 17 losses. Although substantial competitive improvement occurred during the year, the tough spring dual match schedule proved to be a severe obstacle for the senior co-captains and the four first year players in their quest to compete with confidence to win the close matches.
During the fall 2003 season, several Hoyas had notable performances in individual play. Freshman Eileen Boyle (Burr Ridge, Ill./St. Ignatius Prep (Chicago)) reached the main draw singles semifinal at the Old Point Bank/Old Dominion University East Coast Championships. Freshman Nora Gardner (Greenwich, Conn./Deerfield Academy (Mass.)) was a medallist in the singles competition at the Eastern Intercollegiate hosted by the US Military Academy. Junior Monisha Ghia (Bethlehem, Pa.) reached the singles final of the Bucknell University Invitational. Junior Liddy Bartell (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Torrey Pines) advanced to the second round of play at the ITA Regional Singles Championships at Virginia Tech. Senior co-captain Jordan Botjer (Miami, Fla./Ransom Everglades) and Lara Madonia (Ramsey, N.J./Immaculate Heart Academy) reached the singles quarterfinals of the D.C. Metro Championship.
The spring 2004 season saw Georgetown take on an extremely tough dual match slate. The Hoyas were no match for nationally ranked teams Virginia Commonwealth, Maryland and Virginia Tech. Georgetown also struggled against top regional teams Syracuse, Rutgers, West Virginia, East Carolina and Campbell. Georgetown's wins came against George Mason by a 6-1 score and Howard by a 4-3 margin. The toughest losses that could have been wins for the Hoya squad came against regional opponents James Madison, 2003 NCAA Team Championship qualifier UMBC and 2004 NCAA Team Championship qualifier American.
Freshman Boyle and sophomore Kristin Dew (Nashville, Tenn.) led the team with 16 combined singles and doubles wins. Freshman Sana Malouf (McLean, Va./St. Stephen's & St. Agnes) contributed 15 combined wins while classmate Gardner won 13 combined singles and doubles matches.
Several Hoyas received recognition and awards for their athletic and academic achievements and their service to the community. Senior co-captains Botjer and Madonia were named the Team Most Valuable Players. Boyle received the Captain's Award. Dew received the Most Improved Player Award. Botjer also received Georgetown's School of Foreign Service Stephanie Waterman Award and has been nominated for the ITA Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship and Leadership Award. The entire starting singles line-up from the spring season (Botjer, Madonia, Malouf, Gardner, Dew, Boyle) has been nominated for individual academic awards from the ITA (National Academic All American; GPA >3.5) and the BIG EAST (Conference Scholar Athlete; GPA >3.0).
Graduating in the class of 2004 are Botjer and Madonia. Together the seniors contributed 100 combined singles and doubles wins and the pair held down the #1 and #2 singles positions for two years. Botjer, who graduates from the School of Foreign Service, was a four time ITA National Academic All American and competed in two ITA Regional Singles and Doubles Championships. Madonia, who graduates from the School of Nursing and Health Studies, is a four time BIG EAST Scholar Athlete and an ITA National Academic All American. Botjer and Madonia were team co-captains during the 2003-2004 season and they represented the Hoya Tennis team on the University's Student-Athlete Leadership Advisory Committee.
Prospects for the 2004-2005 season should brighten for the Hoyas. Malouf, Gardner, Dew and Boyle will return and be joined by seniors Trina Snow (Sartell, Minn./ Sartell) and Ghia who missed the 2004 spring season due to injuries. Also back for the Hoyas will be juniors Liora Gelblum (Cupertina, Calif./Monta Vista) and Liddy Bartell (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Torrey Pines) who will return to GU from study abroad programs. Recruits who intend to be prominent contributors to Georgetown's fortunes in 2004-2005 include Liz Winkour from West Palm Beach, Florida, Madeleine Long from Washington, D.C., Stephanie Cohen from Fayetteville, N.Y., Adriann Gin from Honolulu, Hawaii, Stafford Palmieri from New York City, Morganne Suding from Santa Barbara, California, Megan Hamilton from Boca Raton, Florida and Amy Schnidman from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
