On Friday, Jan. 30, Villanova women’s tennis (1-4) traveled to the Delcastle Tennis Center in Newark, DE, to face Delaware (2-1) for its home opener. The Wildcats fell, 6-1, at the hands of a strong Delaware team.
In doubles, on the first court, seniors Maggie Gehrig and Emi Callahan fought to a 7-6 loss. Junior Jenna Stevens and sophomore Olivia Corcoran fell, 3-2, and juniors Miriam Gondorova and Lauren Monti lost 7-6.
“Two of the three doubles went into a tiebreaker,” head coach Steve Reiniger said. “Matter of fact, we had a 5-2 lead at No. 3 doubles, so they were a point or two away from getting that court, and one doubles was down 1-4, and came back and went up in the match 6-5. I thought we played very well.”
Going into the match, Reiniger acknowledged the strength of Delaware’s program. To prepare, the team played a lot of two-back in doubles, which, according to Reiniger, worked well for the Wildcats.
“We worked on two-back in doubles, and it kind of actually worked because the other team played two back a lot, which is not necessarily conventional,” Reiniger said. “It’s usually one up and one back. So we worked on playing two-back, and we were prepared.”
In singles play, Gondorova won her match, 6-4, 6-4, on the third court, earning Villanova’s only point of the match.
“And then, [in] singles, unfortunately, we only got one court,” Reiniger said. “We won court three, with Miriam, and she played very well.”
On court No. 1, Corcoran fell to Delaware senior Maryia Hrynashka in straight sets, and Gehrig was defeated by senior Amelia Gorman in a three-set battle on court No. 2.
On the remaining courts, the Blue Hens also earned straight-set wins, securing their 6-1 victory.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s match against Seton Hall and Sunday’s against Lehigh, Reiniger is optimistic and ready to tackle any challenges with playing back-to-back days.
“I think those are two winnable matches,” Reiniger said. “We’re dealing with some injuries, where when we play back-to-back matches, it can be a little tough. I’m glad we play Seton Hall first. If we played Seton Hall second, it might be a problem where I might have to sit more kids against Lehigh to make sure we’re healthy for Seton Hall, since it’s a Big East match. With Seton Hall being played first, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll have a strong enough lineup against Lehigh.”
Reiniger also noted that junior Maddie Hills has stepped in accordingly and is playing well.
“But the extra players that have been playing have done a really great job,” Reiniger said. “Maddie Hills has stepped in and played very well. So if we only have to replace one player, we should be fine.”
On Saturday, Feb. 7, women’s tennis will look to bounce back as they travel to Seton Hall for a Big East matchup. The following day, the Wildcats will take on Lehigh in Bethlehem, PA.
In their last meeting against Seton Hall, the Wildcats won in straight sets on March 3, 2025. Against Lehigh, on Jan. 31, 2025, the Wildcats won, 5-2.
