On Saturday, Feb. 18, the Muhlenberg women’s tennis team began their season with their first match of the spring semester against Swarthmore College. In the fall season, the Mules showed promise with a strong win against Cedar Crest College, sweeping their competition 9-0 in September. Muhlenberg women’s tennis traveled to nationally-ranked Swarthmore for a tough match. Swarthmore’s women’s tennis team is currently ranked 28th out of the nation’s top 40, and has not lost to Muhlenberg since 2015. Unfortunately, the mules could not break Swarthmores’s winning streak on Saturday.
Although Muhlenberg suffered a 9-0 loss, the team is keeping their heads up as they look forward to the rest of the season. “We’re disappointed about the result of the match and we’re hoping for better, but for being a new team, we competed well against an experienced program. Now we have a handle on things that we do well and some things we need to improve.” reflected Captain Malin Hermanson ’23.
Results aside, Muhlenberg put up a good fight. The closest matches were seen from Caitlin Bestrycki ‘26 at the #4 singles position and Giulia Gerschel ‘23 at the #3 singles slot. “A standout on Saturday was Giulia Gerschel, she kept up with her opponent and played a great match,” stated Hermanson.
The Mules are ready to keep working hard this season while keeping a positive mindset. “Some final thoughts are that we’re excited to keep competing. Every match we learn new things about our performance under pressure. This competitive mindset is something that you can’t replicate in practice,” discussed Hermanson.
This excitement and competitive outlook is likely to pay off as the Mules continue their difficult start to the season in a couple weeks with a home match at the Dietrich Field House on Mar. 4. Muhlenberg will go up against Johns Hopkins University, the Centennial Conference’s other nationally-ranked team at #25 in the nation.
After that, the match schedule picks up with another home match after Spring Break on Mar. 23. Muhlenberg plans to play at Kern Field Courts against Bryn Athyn College, a team that they beat 9-0 last year. A full schedule of matches follows, with other exciting opportunities to compete and likely victories to come for Muhlenberg women’s tennis.
