2014 UMD Fall Invitational

Post date: Nov 13, 2014 12:58:00 AM

On September 27-28, Maryland Club Tennis held its annual Fall Invitational. In the past, we had to turn away many of the teams due to the huge popularity of this tournament. This year, we expanded the draws of the tournament from 16 teams to 20 teams to welcome teams from various sections outside of the Mid-Atlantic. Along with the usual participants like William & Mary and UMBC, UNC Chapel Hill, Penn State, and The College of New Jersey also came to play in the UMD invitational.

Maryland Club Tennis was able to bring out an A and B team to compete against the wide variety of teams in this tournament. UMD A fought against Rowan, James Madison, and Georgetown University for the top two spots in their pool. Although UMD A was able to defeat Rowan, they were not so fortunate against the Dukes and Hoyas. This disqualified them from moving on to the gold bracket on Sunday. UMD B, however, was able to win their first two matches against Loyola and Villanova. Although they were not able to defeat UNC Chapel Hill, UMD B still advanced to the gold bracket on Sunday.

In the first round of the Gold Bracket, UMD B were matched against Georgetown. Even with the triumph over UMD A, Georgetown was not able to handle UMD B. This brought the Terrapins to the semifinals where they lost to the Tribe of William & Mary. In the finals, the Tar Heels of UNC Chapel Hill defeated William & Mary.

Maryland Club Tennis may not have done as well as they did in the 2014 Spring Invitational, where UMD A and UMD B were the finalists, but this tournament was still a success. UMD B was able to place 3rd among a much larger crowd of 20 strong teams. Off the court, this tournament signifies the first time Maryland Club Tennis held a tournament with more than 16 participants. With almost no logistical issues, Maryland Club Tennis hopes to continue to host tournaments of this caliber.