The Drexel men’s and women’s tennis seniors have wrapped up their home schedule this past week and prepare to finish the season on a strong note April 17 at Delaware.
The men lost a close match 3-4 to George Mason April 9, while the women were able to squeak out a win 4-3 over the Patriots.
Going into the George Mason match, the men were hoping to keep their perfect conference record intact, but fell just short in their doubles matches. After each team won three singles matches each, the match went into the doubles segment and the Patriots took control and swept all three matches. The first and third doubles matches were won 8-7 and 8-6, respectively. The first match went into tiebreakers, where George Mason was able to take control.
Before the match, seniors Manu Bajpai and Mehdi Rhazali were honored for their four years of service to Drexel and the team. They were leaders throughout their careers and led Drexel to some very successful seasons. The Dragons are currently 6-4 and hoping to go into the Colonial Athletic Association Championships on a good note.
The team will travel to Delaware for a dual match in the tennis version of the CAA rivalry to close out another spring season April 17.
The match has been moved from April 16 because of pending thunderstorms this weekend in the area. Delaware comes in trying to finish the season over .500, while Drexel tries to improve its solid 6-4 record. Delaware (7-6) is currently 2-3 in the CAA and wants to beat Drexel and be able to claim the .500 conference record.
The women’s team was able to close out the career of Gozde Unkaya with a tight win over George Mason. The Dragons only graduate one senior this year and have a good future to look forward to with freshmen Alex Bell and Zeynep Mafa looking to continue their successful play over in the next three years.
The Dragons are 8-6 and so both the men and women will be able to flaunt above .500 records at the CAA Championships.
The women split the six singles matches against the Patriots like the men did, but were able to take two of the three doubles matches.
As the season wraps up, the team wants to make sure they enter the playoffs healthy and fresh so they plan to prepare diligently for the next two weeks in preparation of next weekend’s CAAs.
The CAA Championships takes place April 21-24 in Norfolk, Va. Both the men’s and women’s teams will try to build momentum in their last matches so they go into the championships strong and with hopes of winning.