Webster tennis teams look to improve on early success

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The Webster University women’s tennis team improved to 7-4 on the season, with a 6-3 victory over University of St. Francis. It was the third straight win for the Gorloks since their loss to Dickinson College on March 10.

JORDAN PALMER/ The Journal Freshman Monica Behrle has won seven matches in a row in the second spot.
JORDAN PALMER/ The Journal
Freshman Monica Behrle has won seven matches in a row in the second spot.

Webster continues a bounce-back season following a disappointing 5-11 record in 2014. The Gorloks set a school record in 2013 with 13 straight wins to go 14-2 on the season. Head coach Martha Davis-Goldstein said she is “very happy with our record.”

Freshman Monica Behrle added to her impressive rookie campaign with an 8-4 win in doubles (one set match) and  6-3,  6-1 (two set match)  win in singles. Behrle is now 13-1 on the season in singles. Her only loss was to Andrea Fandino of Division-II Maryville University. She said there is still room for improvement, though. She especially wants to improve her communication in doubles matches.

“I’m not a big talker so I have to learn to communicate more, say ‘get it’ or ‘got it,’”Behrle said.

Behrle has played with four different teammates for doubles and has posted an 8-5 doubles record.

Davis-Goldstein said Behrle helps her teammates on the court.

“Not only does Monica excel on the court personally, she is very supportive of her teammates and continually pushes them to improve.”

Davis-Goldstein said she hopes the team becomes more consistent in singles and more active in doubles.

Originally from Atlanta, Behrle came to Webster thanks to family connections. Her mother used to live in St. Louis, and Behrle loved the area once she looked into attending Webster.

Behrle has won seven straight matches playing at the number two spot for the Gorloks. With 13 wins so far this season, she is just five wins away from tying the Webster single-season win record held by current senior Marissa Lewis. Lewis went 18-3 in 2012.

Webster is the only team in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) with a winning record and is tied with Fontbonne University atop the standings with a 1-0 conference record.

The women’s tennis team is next in action March 25  at the Webster Groves Tennis Center.

Men’s Tennis

The Webster University men’s tennis team briefly had a winning record this weekend, but fell back to 3-3 after the second match of the day on March 21. The Gorloks blanked Illinois College 9-0 Saturday morning, but Judson College returned the favor that afternoon, winning 9-0.

The Judson College Eagles have won their last three matches by a score of 27-0. Two of the three Webster defeats this year have been by the score of 0-9. The Gorloks were shut out in half of their eight losses in 2014. 

Webster has had three meets cancelled and twice has been shut out, but lone senior team member Carlton Poindexter still likes the improvement his team has shown.

“I think our doubles play is a work in progress, but each match is getting better and better,” Poindexter said. “There is always room for improvement, but overall it’s a good start.”

Poindexter has had three doubles partners this season, compiling a 3-3 record. He is 2-0 when paired with junior Alex Magrath. In singles, Poindexter and junior Travis Blair lead the team with records of 4-2.

“An obvious goal for the team is to win conference,” Poindexter said.

Despite the 3-3 record, Webster is in first place in the SLIAC standings with a 1-0 conference record. Greenville, Principia and Westminster have yet to play a conference match. Webster beat Fontbonne 7-2 on March 19.

“In order to reach that goal, our short term goals are to compete and play hard every match,” Poindexter said.

The men’s team will play next on March 24 at Principia College.

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  1. Outstanding year for the women’s tennis team at Webster. Congrats to Monica- records are made to be broken! Good luck.

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