On Thursday, April 16, Villanova women’s tennis opened Big East Championship play in Cayce, SC, by sweeping No. 11 Providence, 4-0. Villanova (11-9, 1-3 Big East) advanced to the quarterfinal round of the tournament on Friday, where it fell, 4-1, to No. 3 St. John’s.
Kicking off play against Providence (5-13, 0-5 Big East), the Wildcats earned the doubles points. Junior Lauren Monti and junior Jenna Stevens earned a 6-3 win on court two, and sophomore Olivia Corcoran and junior Miriam Gondorova, on the third court, won 6-1. The No. 1 doubles game went unfinished, but senior Emi Callahan and senior Maggie Gehrig took the first set 5-3.
In singles play, Villanova extended its advantage. Corcoran secured a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles, and Stevens followed with a 6-1, 6-1 win on court four. Monti sealed the match with a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 6 singles.
“Olivia Corcoran at No. 1,” head coach Steve Reiniger said. “There are no days off, no matter who we play. The No. 1 court is always tough. Olivia had won a Big East match. She won against UConn and Georgetown and played very well. She lost to that St. John’s girl, 2-2, in the regular season. So, [today] was a good adjustment.”
At No. 2 singles, Gehrig led 6-3, 3-3, when the play was halted, and at No. 3, Gondorova was ahead 6-3, 4-1. Kornyeva split sets at No. 5, before she was stopped, dropping 1-6 for the first set, and winning the second, 6-1.
The next day, the team played against St. John’s.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of downtime,” Reiniger said. “But we know what we need to do.”
St. John’s (16-6, 5-1 Big East) secured the doubles point, with victories on courts one and two. The Red Storm earned a 6-0 win at No. 1 and then clinched a 6-4 win on court two. Corcoran and Gondorova were tied at 4-4 on the third court before the play was halted.
Moving into singles in the quarterfinal game, St. John’s picked up three wins to secure the match, but Villanova won at No. 3 singles, with Gondorova besting her opponent 6-2, 6-1.
St. John’s claimed No. 2, No. 5, and No. 6 singles, clinching the 4-1 victory. Stevens, at No. 4, played a tight game, splitting the first two sets and tying in the third when the play was stopped.
In the St. John’s match, they fought really hard,” Reiniger said. “Same thing at Georgetown. We just came up a little short. It wasn’t due to effort or lack of intensity or anything like that. Nothing negative. So I really appreciated the effort of the team.”
With the loss, Villanova concluded its season in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament on Friday.
Reiniger reflected on the season as a whole and the team’s attitudes and efforts.
“Last player left on the court when their match is the decider, they always feel like they let the team down, but that’s not the case,” Reiniger said. “It’s more of a collection. Did we get the doubles point? Did everyone who should’ve won win? Played their best? As long as our approach is right, our attitudes are good, and we’re positive on the court, I don’t mind. It’s more of a team thing and not an individual thing.”
Villanova will now begin its off-season and will announce its fall schedule, which will likely begin in September.
