Both of NYU’s tennis teams were in action Wednesday afternoon, splitting a victory and a loss. The men’s team, competing in Ewing, New Jersey, was defeated by the College of New Jersey 6-3, dropping their record to 1-4. Despite the score, the Violets did not go down without a fight. After dropping the first two matches in doubles play, they came back strong with an 8-2 victory by senior CJ Leong and sophomore Matt DeMichiel, the third doubles team.

With a chance to take the advantage in singles play, the Violets battled hard, but TCNJ ultimately came out on top winning four of the six matches. However, the Violets brought three of those four singles defeats to the fourth set. Senior captain Billy Smithline was happy with the way his teammates fought.

“I think the team came out with a lot of firepower and energy,” Smithline said. “We played well in doubles despite the scores. We also won the first set in all of our singles matches, but couldn’t hold on until the finish line.”

Despite the setback, singles players freshman Ian Combemale and sophomore Matt DeMichiel were both victorious in three-set matches.

Smithline remained optimistic and looked at yesterday’s match as an inspiration to improve rather than a detrimental loss.

“Winning is obviously the main goal, but learning from your losses and mistakes is also very important,” Smithline said. “I expect us to play better for the remainder of the season and build off this loss.”

In Hoboken, New Jersey, the NYU women’s tennis team rebounded from a loss to Rochester University and remained hot, defeating the Stevens Institute of Technology 8-1 to improve their record to 3-1 on the season.

In an all-around dominant performance for NYU, the Violets’ first doubles team of junior Carmen Lai and sophomore Laila El Dessouki continued their undefeated spring. The second doubles team of senior Mari Tzakis and junior Madeline King followed suit.

With a 2-1 lead heading into singles play, the Lady Violets shut Stevens out, winning all six singles matches in straight sets. Senior captain Alexandra Ziarko was thrilled by Wednesday’s outcome.

“Our team had a solid performance out there today,” Ziarko said. “The doubles teams had great chemistry, and the singles players really brought their A-games.”

While Smithline found inspiration in a gutsy defeat, Ziarko is more sure than ever of her team’s future after Wednesday’s victory.

“This win today gives us a lot of confidence,” Ziarko said. “We hope to continue the way we’ve been playing throughout the season and into the end-of-the-year championships.”

The Lady Violets are halfway through their regular season, with four more matches scheduled before the UAA Championships in Altamonte Springs, Florida. They’ll look to continue their winning ways against Hamilton College on April 10 in Clinton, New York.

The men are also at the halfway point, with six matches remaining before the UAA Championships. They will look to rebound on April 7 against Baruch College at the National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York.

A version of this article appeared in the April 2 print edition. Email Michael Thompson at [email protected].