BU Men’s and Women’s Tennis Teams Gearing Up for End of Regular Season
Terriers hope that recent conference play wins will help them advance to Patriot League championships
Women’s tennis head coach Lesley Sheehan (CAS’84) leads a team huddle during a match against Holy Cross on March 29, which the Terriers won 4-0. Photos by Eliza Nuestro/BU Athletics
BU Men’s and Women’s Tennis Teams Gearing Up for End of Regular Season
Terriers hope that recent conference play wins will help them advance to Patriot League championships
With just two regular season matches remaining, the Boston University men’s and women’s tennis teams are gearing up for their Patriot League tournaments, which take place on April 16 for the women and April 23–26 for the men.
The Terrier women enter the final weekend of the regular season 6-9 overall, but with a perfect 4-0 in conference play. The team’s overall record is a reflection of its nonconference schedule, which has included matches against nationally ranked opponents like Brown and Miami.
Women’s head coach Lesley Sheehan (CAS’84), now in her 40th season helming the program, says the daunting early-season schedule was designed to prepare the team for Patriot League play.
“It’s really tough tennis, so it makes them really work on their game and push harder through the game,” Sheehan says of her players. “When they get into the Patriot League matches, they are used to battling, and I think that makes a big difference.”
She credits her players’ strong work ethic for their undefeated conference record this season.“We have a lot of players that are good, and they’re challenging each other,” Sheehan says. “That’s a big part of it, and they set their goals really high, and they want to do well.”
BU’s top player is Gabriella Mikaul (CAS’28), who is undefeated in Patriot League play and is both the Terriers’ No. 1 singles and doubles player. She embodies the team’s culture—working year-round trying to improve her game.
When it comes to goals, Ellie Gyuro (CAS’27) says the focus isn’t just on winning, but also on effort, along with statistical elements like first-serve percentage and second-serve returns.
“Sometimes if you just focus on winning, or the idea of having winning as the end goal, it can be a little bit difficult to focus on a day-to-day thing to get there, and it can feel a little bit overbearing,” Gyuro says.
That said, one of the team’s mantras is, “What are we going to do today so that we can have a better chance to win the Patriot League?” Having won the conference title last year, they’re hoping for a repeat this season.
The men’s team is 7-10 overall, but 3-1 in Patriot League play, and has rattled off consecutive match victories against Loyola Maryland and Holy Cross.
Off to a better start in conference play this year than last, the Terriers are aiming to capture the top seed in the conference tournament.
“As a team, our coach has implemented that mentality of just trying to get the victories and be hungry for more,” Adrian Quiros (CAS’27) says.
That hunger comes from the program’s difficult out-of-conference schedule, which included matches against the likes of Boston College, Dartmouth, and Yale.
“We played some really high-level matches, which helped us be more prepared for the Patriot League,” Quiros says. “With the matches that we have played, we have seen that our level is pretty high compared to them, and we can be a really good candidate to win the conference.”
The Boston University women’s and men’s tennis teams will face Lehigh on Saturday, April 11, at 9 am and 1 pm, respectively, at the Lichtenberg Tennis Center in West Point, N.Y. Live statistics will be posted on goterriers.com, and updates will be posted live via X (formerly Twitter) @BUGameDay and @TerrierTennis and @TerrierWTennis.