Villanova women’s tennis (5-8) extended its winning streak to three matches with a dominant, 7-0 sweep over Marquette University in Orlando, FL on Monday, March 10.
The men’s team (2-11, 0-1 Big East) fell to Butler, 7-0, on Friday in its Big East opener at the Villanova Tennis Complex on March 14.
The Wildcats women’s team showcased consistency in both doubles and singles play against Marquette (3-13). The doubles duo of freshman Olivia Corcoran and sophomore Lauren Monti provided momentum with a 6-2 victory, while sophomores Jenna Stevens and Maddie Hills followed with a dominant 6-1 win to clinch the doubles point.
In singles play, graduate student Sophia Edwards made a statement at No. 1 with a commanding, 6-0, 6-4 win.
Corcoran displayed resilience at No. 2, grinding through a tough three-set match. Despite dropping the second set 6-7, she responded with a 10-4 victory in the third to secure the point. Junior Maggie Gehrig added a tight straight-set win at No. 3, claiming the match 7-6, 6-3.
The trio of Stevens, Monti and senior Valieriia Kornieva highlighted its dominance with commanding straight-set victories to secure the sweep. Stevens cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 4, and Monti followed with a decisive, 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 5. Kornieva sealed it at No. 6, controlling the first set, 6-1, and battling to close out the second, 7-5.
The women’s squad will now look to extend its win streak in the upcoming road match against Loyola Maryland on Tuesday, March 18. Villanova will then host Saint Joseph’s University in its home opener on Wednesday, March 19.
After a tough loss to Butler (8-7, 1-1) in its Big East opener, the Villanova men are focused on growth and seizing upcoming opportunities to build momentum.
In doubles, Villanova’s sophomore pairings faced a tough challenge. Sophomores Will Monahan and Justin Frattarelli dropped a 6-3 decision at the top flight to Butler’s Nicolas Arts and Rahulniket Konakanchi. Sophomores Kush Anand and Thomas Wakefield fell, 6-0, to Patrick Joss and Nicholas Shirley at No. 2.
Junior Cooper Gordon and senior Trey Fourticq’s match against Riccardo Baldi and Arnesh Singh at No. 3 ended unfinished, though they were in a tight battle. Villanova trailed, 5-4, when Butler clinched the doubles point.
“We’ve got to come out of the gates ready to go,” head coach Brad Adams said. “We were just as good as those guys, but I thought we had a slow start for a lot of the singles. It shows we have a team that will fight regardless of the first set.”
That fight was most evident in the singles contests, with Monahan and Frattarelli pushing their matches to third-set tiebreakers. Monahan rebounded from a first-set loss to force a third but narrowly fell to Nicolas Arts, 10-8. Frattarelli followed a similar path in his match with Aidan William, winning his first set but ultimately dropping the next two, 6-4, 10-5.
The Villanova men’s team now faces a critical stretch of the season. After its match against Loyola (MD) on Tuesday, the team will begin Big East play.
“It’s a tough ask, but I think we’re in great tennis shape,” Adams said. “Our guys have that mentality of getting the first point and keeping your foot on the pedal all the way through the match.”
With a challenging road trip ahead, Adams emphasizes starting matches with more aggression and maintaining energy throughout. As the Wildcats aim to elevate their game and make a statement in Big East play, Adams believes his team is ready to embrace the test.
On Friday, March 21, the team travels to Chicago to face DePaul before heading to Milwaukee for a match against Marquette on Saturday, March 22.
