On Saturday, April 11, Villanova men’s tennis fell, 6-1, to Big East opponent, Georgetown.
Strong Georgetown (7-14, 3-3 Big East) performances in both doubles and singles play secured the conference victory, handing the Wildcats (5-15, 0-4 Big East) another setback in Big East competition as the regular season winds down.
Georgetown took early control of the match, claiming the doubles point with wins on courts No. 1 and No. 3. The pairing of Arthur O’Sullivan and Cyrus Zia defeated junior Ethan Carr and senior Cooper Gordon, 7–5, at the top spot, while Burke Pablo and Hank Williams earned a 6–3 victory over juniors Kush Anand and Thomas Wakefield on court No. 3. The No. 2 doubles match featuring sophomores Quincy Jones and Jack Sherner went unfinished.
“I thought Quincy and Jack put together a great match before it was abandoned,” said head coach Brad Adams. Adams was able to find some bright sports in the less-than-ideal result.
In singles play, the Hoyas continued to dominate, winning five of the six matches. Arthur O’Sullivan defeated Gordon in straight sets, 6–1, 6–3, and James O’Sullivan followed with a 6–3, 6–4 win over Carr. Joshua Lamm-Bocharov added another point for Georgetown with a 6–2, 6–1 victory against Quincy Jones at No. 3 singles.
Jonah Hill earned a three-set win at No. 4, surviving a competitive match against junior Justin Frattarelli, 5–7, 6–0, 7–6 (10–7), while Jacob Mann topped Sherner, 6–4, 6–0, at No. 5.
Villanova’s lone point came at No. 6 singles, where sophomore Evan Ancu took a confident straight-set victory, 7–6, 6–3. Adams emphasized both the milestone and areas for growth, noting Ancu’s first BIG EAST victory, he also added that the team needs to improve its “attention to detail on the big points” and “making sure we’re not giving away free points.”
With the loss, Villanova drops to 0-4 against Big East opponents.
Reflecting on the match as a whole, Adams noted that Villanova had opportunities but struggled to maintain momentum.
“We had our chances against Georgetown, but took our foot off the pedal a bit, and they were able to break back and get into the set,” Adams said.
He maintained that the team will continue to focus on the mental side of the game moving forward.
With the regular season complete, the Wildcats now shift their focus to postseason competition and the challenges ahead in the BIG EAST Tournament. Adams expects Villanova to enter as the No. 8 seed and emphasized the importance of mindset heading into the matchup.
“We shouldn’t put as much pressure on ourselves,” Adams said. “Let’s go in, compete, and give it our all.”
The Wildcats are likely to face either St. John’s or DePaul in the opening round. Both programs feature strong, experienced players.
Still, Adams believes an underdog approach could benefit the team.
“[Villanova] should play pretty free,” Adams said about their No. 8 seed.
Villanova will now travel to the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center in South Carolina, where quarterfinal matches are scheduled to begin Friday, April 17, at 9 a.m.
