In their first match back from Orlando, Fla., the Villanova men’s and women’s tennis teams both faced the University of Connecticut Huskies last Friday.

In the men’s contest, the Wildcats split the singles matches, winning the first three. Villanova’s Dimitri Chimerakis and Scott Fahrendorf, the ‘Cats’ number one and two singles respectively, both won their matches but were taken into three sets, while third singles player Brian Maher won, only losing two games in the match.

Despite losing half of the singles matches, the team was able to squeeze out a win by taking two out of three doubles matches to win the doubles point and take home the victory. The Wildcats won the contest by a score of 4-3, improving their overall record to 6-4 and starting off the Big East season with a win.

That same day, the women’s team had similar luck and also brought home a win with a 4-3 decision over the Huskies. The women’s team also split the singles matches but picked up the doubles point for the win. Candice Carlin, Jaclyn Williamson and Melissa Reed, the one, three and six singles players, all won their matches in two sets. The women also started the Big East season with a win and improved their record to 6-4.

Returning to action this past Monday, both tennis teams played in their second Big East match against Georgetown and again both had the same results. The women’s team was able to split the singles matches, winning the first, third and sixth singles again. However, this time the ‘Cats were unable to win the doubles point, only winning one match and dropping the decision to the Hoyas, 4-3.

The men’s team lost to the Hoyas also, but it was not as merciful. ‘Nova did not win a single match against Georgetown and lost, 7-0. In the second singles spot, Brian Maher was able to take Georgetown’s Eric Conrad into three sets but lost the final set, 6-1.

The men’s team also squared off against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Tuesday, taking a break from league play.

For the second straight match, ‘Nova got shut out and did not win a match. Junior John Borden and sophomore Anuj Malhorta each won their first sets but were unable to finish off their opponents. The final decision was 7-0 and the team fell back down to .500 after non-conference play with a 6-6 record on the year.

The women’s team, on the other hand, fared well against Lehigh, defeating the Hawks 6-1 on Wednesday. The win left the ‘Cats with a 7-4 record.

The men’s team will face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights this upcoming Wednesday and the women will square off against Towson on Tuesday.