Villanova men’s tennis team secured a 4–2 victory over Colgate on Saturday evening, earning its third win of the season. The Wildcats used a strong doubles performance and a resilient effort in singles play to claim the home victory. 

Villanova set the tone early by taking the doubles point with wins on Courts No. 1 and No. 3. Cooper Gordon and Ethan Carr cruised at the top spot with a dominant 6–1 victory. Quincy Jones and Jack Sherner followed with a 6–3 win on Court No. 3 to clinch the point. Kush Anand and Thomas Wakefield were also confident at No. 2 doubles, leading 6–4 at the time of Villanova securing the point. 

“Doubles have been a bright spot. We really showed our full potential, especially with the amount of returns we were able to get back,” head coach Brad Adams said. “We played a higher percentage in doubles and didn’t give many errors away. Winning the doubles point is great, but you get into a bit of a lull after you win the first point.”

Colgate responded in singles play, earning victories at No. 1 and No. 2 to briefly take a 2–1 lead. Jones fell in straight sets at the top position, and Wakefield was edged in a competitive two-set match at No. 2. 

“Not having Cooper Gordon [in singles] was a big hit, but we’re trying to preserve him and make sure he can play every match. Quincy stepped up at Court 1 and came out with intensity, even if we didn’t get every win,” Adams added. 

The Wildcats answered with three straight wins to secure the team victory. Ethan Carr evened the match at 2–2 with a convincing 6–3, 6–1 win at No. 4 singles. Anand followed with a 6–4, 6–3 victory at No. 6 to give Villanova a 3–2 advantage. 

Will Monahan delivered the clinching point at No. 3 singles, rallying after dropping the opening set to earn a 6–7, 6–4, 6–3 comeback win. Cameron Kruep was fighting in a three-set battle at No. 5 and led 7–5, 2–6, 3–3 when play concluded following Villanova’s fourth point. 

Up next, the Wildcats will travel to California to compete in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship beginning Feb. 26. 

“We play UCSD this Thursday in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship. One of our guys is on that team, so it will be an interesting dynamic,” Adams said. Ball State on Sunday will be a huge match; they’ve played a couple of Big East teams that we won’t get to play in the regular season, like Xavier. It will be an intense couple of days with lots of matches against quality opponents.” 

There, the ‘Cats will face UC San Diego, Ball State and UC Irvine.