Club sports have been quietly carrying on the Villanova tradition of excellence in athletics for years, and it’s about time they get some recognition. 

Two Villanova club sports teams are heading to nationals this spring: women’s club ice hockey and men’s and women’s club tennis.

After dominating at the local level and finishing fourth in their sectional tournament, the Club Tennis team (which consists of 50 total players, both men and women) is ready to burst onto the national scene and bring home another national championship for the University. 

The USTA Tennis On Campus National Championship, or as it is more colloquially referred to, nationals, boasts a field of 64 teams from colleges and universities across the country. The competition will take place in Orlando April 13 through 15 and promises to be a memorable tournament for all involved.

“Being in Orlando, I think we will do what we do best, have fun and always try our best and nothing less,” freshman doubles player, Francisco Biaggi said. “I’m sure that for me and my teammates, we are beyond honored to represent the university and cannot be more excited to give it all we got.”

Even as a freshman, Biaggi is a big part of the team’s title hopes as one of the top six players at the club. Biaggi has been playing alongside Andrew Puglisi in all official competitions for the Wildcats this season. Puglisi and Biaggi will be joined by Meaghan Bedigian and Anna Barsanti, who form the club’s lone women’s doubles partnership for official competitions. Brendan Austin and Barsanti will be representing the University in the mixed doubles category. Ali Sims and Sergio Carvajal will compete in the women’s and men’s singles category.

Though tennis is not often considered a team sport, these Wildcats will need to be firing on all cylinders if they are to bring home a national championship. Every game matters for the competing teams, as their total number of games won, not their total number of matches won, will determine the standings come the end of the tournament.

“I have played competitive tennis for a big part of my life and I could not remember a tournament in my life, where I had so much fun,” said Biaggi. “That is what makes this team so special to me, I feel that, win or lose, that team spirit will be intact.”

Whether they come home national champions or not, these Wildcats get to play tennis in Disney World and say they’re one of the best programs in country, maybe the best, but they’ll have wait until April to find out.