In their first matches since spring break, the Washington University men’s and women’s teams shook off any rust and earned shutout victories over Rhodes College and NCAA Division II opponent Bellarmine University.

Women’s tennis:

The No. 9 Bears posted two dominant 9-0 victories over Rhodes and Bellarmine, respectively, on Friday and Saturday.

At the Tao Tennis Center, senior Jamie Silverberg and sophomore Grace Deering jumpstarted the Bears to a sweep in doubles against Rhodes with an 8-0 victory in No. 1 doubles. In singles play, all six matches were won in straight sets, with sophomore Kate Lee winning the most competitive match 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in No. 4 singles.

The Bears turned in a similarly impressive performance against Bellarmine at Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park. Silverberg teamed up with Deering to earn another win at No. 1 doubles before securing a 6-1, 6-2 victory in No. 2 singles to earn her 129th career victory and move into fourth place on Wash. U.’s all-time career wins list.

Silverberg wasn’t the only player to climb up the Wash. U. record books, though, as senior Aly Coran notched her 123rd and 124th career victories to move into seventh place in all-time victories.

According to head coach Kelly Stahlhuth, both Silverberg and Coran have demonstrated a diligent work ethic and provided strong leadership for the Red and Green over the past four seasons.

“Jamie and Aly, they’re both hard workers. They have led the team from the moment they stepped on campus, even as freshmen, and Jamie has maximized every ounce of potential that she had,” Stahlhuth said.

After starting the season with an 8-5 record, with all five losses being against top-25 teams, the Bears are focused on playing their best tennis in the crucial month of April, starting with the Madison Invitational next weekend and ending with the University Athletic Association Championships later in the month.

“We had a strong start in February, in March we haven’t had a lot of matches, but they’ve been really intense. We always say we have to peak in April. We’ve got to bring our best tennis,” Stahlhuth said. “It’s tough, you’re tired and classes are getting busy, but that’s what we’ve got to do.”

Sophomore Johnny Wu hits a forehand shot against Bellarmine’s Zachary Kuo. Wu won the match 6-2, 6-3 as the Bears’ men’s tennis team beat Bellarmine 9-0.

Men’s tennis:

Ranked No. 12 in the country, the Bears began the weekend with a convincing 6-0 win over Rhodes College on campus at the Tao Tennis Center.

The match was played to decision, allowing the Bears to end the game after sweeping all three doubles matches and winning three singles matches to ensure the victory. In the only tightly contested match of the day, junior John Carswell triumphed 6-2, 4-6, 13-11 at No. 1 singles.

On Saturday, the Red and Green won their fourth consecutive match by defeating Bellarmine 9-0. Senior Tyler Kratky teamed up with freshman Radha Vishnubhotla in No. 3 doubles to win 8-1 and then followed that up with a 6-1, 6-0 win in No. 3 singles to nab his 99th career victory, one win shy of becoming the 17th member of the 100-win club.

With the pair of victories, the Bears boosted their overall record to 6-2 and improved to 107-4 at home over the past 12 years.

The schedule picks up for the Bears next weekend when they face one unranked foe and three top-30 opponents, including No. 10 Trinity University (Texas), in San Antonio, Texas.