After a difficult nine-match drought, the men’s tennis team came away with a decisive 5-2 victory over University of Connecticut on March 29, then went on to lose against Monmouth 4-2 on April 2 at Villanova’s West Campus courts. The Wildcats improved their record to 3-14 (0-2 Big East).

The UConn matchup was Nova’s first home meet of the season, and freshman Victoria Martinez attributes the energy on the court to having friends and family in attendance.

“In a sport like tennis, support is extremely important,” Martinez said. 

“One other person saying they believe in you can make all the difference in a close match.”

Despite the extra cheering on the sidelines, UConn came away with a sweeping 7-0 victory over the women’s team, which now holds a record of 2-12 (0-2 Big East).

This year’s tennis squad is a young one, featuring a total of nine freshmen on the men’s and women’s teams, so Martinez isn’t worried about both teams’ slow starts this season.

“We have a very talented freshman recruiting class and we are looking to do big things in the near future when we are acclimated to the formatting and styles of play,” Martinez said.

Martinez appreciates the young aspect of the roster because of the vast potential to grow and improve as a team.

“The division between freshmen and upperclassman is truly nonexistent on the team and I believe that it has benefitted us,” Martinez said. 

“The freshmen definitely look up to the upperclassmen on our team. They are extremely great role models and continually show the freshmen how to stay both classy and competitive on the court.”

The closest women’s match against UConn was sophomore Samantha Schafer’s number two singles match, which took three sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-3). 

The men, on the other hand, swept all three doubles matches for the doubles point and won four of the six singles matches.

In doubles, the pairings of seniors Kelly Donaldson and Mark Miller and junior Chris Seitz and sophomore Bradley Noyes both won in tie-breakers, with scores of 9-8 (6) and 9-8 (3) respectively. 

The team of senior Tim Abbracciamento and freshman William Elmore came away with an 8-3 win.

At number one singles, Seitz overcame UConn handily with a 6-1, 6-2 win, while the other three ‘Nova victories came from Miller in three sets at second singles (3-6, 6-1, 6-1), Noyes at fourth singles (6-2, 7-6 (4)) and Donaldson at sixth singles (6-2, 6-3).

In the meet against Monmouth, the Villanova men gained two points – one for sweeping doubles, and one for Abbracciamento’s 6-1, 6-2 win at fourth singles – but ultimately fell short.

“Despite the beginning of the season, Villanova tennis has a bright future with its hard-working and dedicated players,” Martinez said.

The Wildcat men and women will return to the courts when they host conference foe Georgetown on Saturday at noon. In the face of the Hoyas’ winning records of both the men and women’s teams, Villanova’s game plan is to leave it all on the court, refusing to be intimidated by any opponent according to Martinez.

“Our team is very determined and, regardless of the result, we are looking forward to representing Villanova.”