MTEN: Castellano, Farthing finish first invitational on top
Longwood men’s tennis went to Pennsylvania this past weekend for a three-day invitational hosted by Villanova University where the youngest Lancer pair won 2-1 for the team’s first showing of the year.
"For our first competition of the year, the team came out prepared and ready to fight," said men’s tennis head coach Pierre Tafelski on the Longwood athletics official website.
Sophomore Alfonso Castellano and freshman Julian Farthing took the tournament after winning both their single matches in the finals despite their loss in the last doubles match.
Alongside Castellano and Farthing, the pair of junior Florian Uffer and sophomore Lachlan Manser swept their quarterfinal doubles and singles matches 3-0 but were defeated 2-0 in the semifinals by Villanova pair senior Chris Seitz and junior Bradley Noyes.
"There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but it gives us great confidence for our future matches," Tafelski said on the Longwood athletics official website.
The Lancers will have over two weeks to prepare for their next invitational at George Mason University on Oct. 3-4.
WTEN: Lancers experience first loss and win in same day
Longwood women’s tennis faced polar opposite results in Sunday afternoon’s doubleheader. The day, Sept. 13, saw the Lancers fall 11-1 to George Mason University (GMU) only to defeat Mount St. Mary’s University 10-2 in the next matchup.
“We played much better against Mount St. Mary's, and by the time we played singles we finally found our groove and looked more like the team I had envisioned,” said second-year head coach Bruce Myers on the Longwood athletics official website.
Junior Anna Pelak began her singles season with two wins against both competitors at the No. 2 spot, earning Longwood’s lone point against GMU.
New freshman Fallon Burger began at the No. 1 spot for the Lancers and beat her first opponent of the season in Mount St. Mary’s junior Kelly Smith, 8-6. Burger replaces former Longwood women’s tennis standout Malin Allgurin, who graduated after last season.
The Lancers were supposed to have a third match against Division III Christopher Newport University, but the Captains decided to “pull out of the tournament,” according to the Longwood athletics official website.
“I was disappointed we couldn't play CNU, but it gives us a lot to work on the next two weeks before Loyola,” said Myers on the Longwood athletics official website.
Longwood will travel to Loyola University for another invitational from Sept. 25-27.
