The women’s tennis team (11-3) defeated the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (6-3) by a score of 6-1 and Fordham University (5-4) in a tight 4-3 contest at the Pizzitola Sports Center on Sunday. The results gave the Bears their second five-win streak of the season.
“You really can’t control the result of the match, but you can commit to doing everything you can to put yourself in the best position to be successful,” wrote Britany Lau ’23 in an email to The Herald. “This has helped us with the streak and will continue to (help us) for the rest of the season.”
In the Bears’ morning match, the UMass Minutewomen suited up just four players and defaulted a set due to a lack of players, giving the Bears an early advantage in the day’s doubles competition. Phoebe Peus ’26 and Lindsey Hofflander ’25 won their doubles set 6-1, while the duo of Addison Ahlstrom ’25 and Lau secured a 6-3 victory.
Entering singles play, Bruno held a 3-0 advantage thanks to the doubles point and the Minutewomen defaulting two singles matches. The Bears’ singles players took the lead and ran away with it, winning at every court except one to snap UMass Amherst’s three-match win streak.
“It has been a lot of fun to coach a group of players who are so motivated to get better every day,” Head Coach Lucie Schmidhauser wrote in an email to The Herald. “With this approach to training and competition, our team has enjoyed vastly improved results.”
In the closely-contested afternoon match against Fordham, the Bears once again won the doubles point. The duos of Hofflander and Peus and Ali Benedetto ’24 and Nora Lee ’24 each picked up 6-2 wins, moving the Bears to 14-0 on the season in winning the doubles point.
“We have also done an excellent job in doubles,” Schmidhauser wrote, adding that it gives them “an edge going into singles play.”
Peus extended the lead to two points in singles, but Fordham overcame the deficit and took a 3-2 lead after three consecutive wins. Bruno tied the day’s score at three apiece when Hofflander secured her match, leaving victory in the hands of Olivia Mariotti ’24.
“We went into the match knowing it was going to be tough and that we needed to play great tennis to win,” Lau wrote.
Carlota Casasampere Escoda of Fordham split the first two sets with Mariotti, with Mariotti winning 6-4 in the first set and Casasampere Escoda winning 6-2 in set two. Down 4-1 in the last set, Mariotti climbed back and tied the game at six, and ultimately came through in the clutch with a 7⁸-6⁶ victory.
“Across the board, everyone fought extremely hard and showed what we have been committed to since the beginning of the year,” Lau wrote. “Coach Schmidhauser always talks about being a championship team, and I think Fordham’s match really showcased the work we have been doing all year.”
With the best record in pre-conference play among Ivy League schools — 11-3 — and twelve matches yet to play, the team has already surpassed their previous season’s win total of eight. Schmidhauser attributed this season’s success to the team holding itself accountable to “consistently challenge their teammates in practice” and “simulate match-like conditions every day.”
“This type of approach has helped them be ready when they compete against other teams,” Schmidhauser wrote. “Good things happen when you have a team that ‘buys-in’ in every aspect of their training.”
Bruno, 8-1 at home, will welcome Marist College (2-7) and Boston University (9-4, 1-0 Patriot League) to the Pizzitola this Saturday before traveling to Texas to face three teams, including Schmidhauser’s alma mater and defending two-time national champion University of Texas at Austin (10-3, 1-1 Big 12).
“This year everyone has done a phenomenal job working on their strength, in their individuals and in practice,” Lau wrote. “As long as we’ll continue to stretch ourselves in practices and matches, this will help us be successful.”
