The Binghamton University women’s tennis team got off to a rough start in its opening spring dual matches Friday and Saturday at Army.
Rutgers (2-0) swept the Bearcats 7-0 in a dual match hosted by Army. Binghamton’s lone win came at first doubles, where freshmen Anna Edelman and Lauren Bates won 8-5 over Polina Zarester and Amy Zhang. Edelman and Bates are now 16-1 this season. The Bearcats fell to 1-2.
BU faced Army on Friday and took the top three singles matches on straight set victories by Edelman, Bates and classmate Yulia Smirnova, but fell 4-3. Binghamton’s lone doubles win again came from Edelman and Bates.
In dropping two dual matches in two days, the Bearcats found a renewed sense of urgency before the America East Conference Championship in April.
“I think we learned a lot about our games and what we need to work on because the matches were so close,” Edelman said. “We need to work harder during practice.”
With a green lineup that features three freshmen and two sophomores, Edelman said the Bearcats came away with valuable experience.
“The freshmen got to see what a real college match looked like and that is really important,” she said.
The Bearcats next match is scheduled against Temple at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.