Villanova men’s and women’s tennis teams hit the road this past weekend for invitationals at Lehigh University and the U.S Naval Academy.
The men traveled to Lehigh, PA, and the women headed to Annapolis, MD.
Villanova women’s tennis competed for the fourth year in a row at the Navy Blue and Gold invite hosted by the Naval Academy. The three-day event featured other schools such as Buffalo, George Washington, Howard, Johns Hopkins, Seton Hall, UNC Wilmington, and the Navy Midshipmen.
Sophomore Olivia Corcoran, junior Miriam Gondorova and senior Maggie Gehrig competed in singles matches. In the round of 16, Corcoran defeated Victoria Sasinka from George Washington 6-3, 6-3.
Gehrig won 6-7, 4-6, 12-10 over Arli Eda to advance to the round of 8. After picking up one more win, she was defeated in the semifinals 6-4, 6-3 by Maria Glowacka. Junior Lauren Monti made a run to the finals of Flight B, but ultimately lost in straight sets. Junior Jenna Stevens advanced to the semifinals, where she ultimately fell short.
Olivia Corcoran and Jenna Stevens advanced to the B Flight doubles finals. They were defeated 6-2, but put on a strong performance in the matches leading up to it. The pair won 6-3 in the first round, 6-0 in the second, and 6-4 in the semifinals.
As for the men, they impressed this weekend at the Lehigh Invitational to kick off their fall season. The event featured Lafayette, Rider, Villanova and Lehigh.
Junior Ethan Carr and freshman Ethan Solop both put on excellent performances, winning all of their matches.
On Saturday, Villanova tied with Lehigh 6-6 in singles.
Solop and Ryan Benoit were the only two freshmen to compete in the Lehigh Invitational.
In doubles play, Villanova defeated Lafayette 3-1 in the first round. The Wildcats secured multiple victories through doubles play, with juniors Thomas Wakefield and Kush Anand grabbing a 6-3 win. Sophomores Quincy Jones and Jack Sherner also picked up a win, 6-2. The pairs of Ethan Solop and sophomore Cameron Kruep, and freshman Ryan Benoit and sophomore Evan Ancu all won their matches 6-3.
The Wildcats’ performance this weekend was to prepare for the upcoming season. After being seeded last in the 2025 Big East Championship and falling in the first round, Villanova will be looking for a chance at redemption.
Villanova men’s tennis’s next invitational will be down the road at Saint Joseph’s University from Friday, Oct. 3 to Sunday, Oct. 5.
Women’s tennis will host the Villanova/Delaware Invite next weekend at the Villanova Tennis Complex. The invitational will begin on Friday, Oct. 3, and continue through Sunday, Oct. 5.
