BETHLEHEM, Pa.—After a layoff of exactly five weeks in between competitions, Villanova (1-1) returned to action in a big way with a 6-1 win over Lehigh (2-1) at the Ulrich Varsity Tennis Courts on Sunday afternoon. A sweep of the doubles matches and straight-set victories in five of the singles matches helped the Wildcats earn their first victory of the season.
 
Villanova got contributions from everywhere in the lineup, including junior Annalise Klopfer (Palm Harbor, Fla.) who won her No. 1 singles match and teamed with senior Lexi DeNucci (Glastonbury, Conn.) for a win at No. 1 doubles. Among the other highlights for the Wildcats were freshmen Rose Kenny (Charlotte, N.C.) and Bella Steffen (Cary, N.C.) winning in their collegiate debuts.
 
Klopfer and DeNucci scored a 6-4 win over Paula Gonzalez and Leighanna Moskos in the No. 1 doubles position. Senior Claudia Althans (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and junior Emily Strande (Centennial, Colo.) earned a 6-4 win over Ella Imhof and Casey Zhong in the No. 2 spot, while Kenny and junior Sabina Grigorian (Atlanta, Ga.) tallied a 6-3 win over Junmoke James and Anshika Singh to finish off a sweep of the doubles matches and claim the first team point.
 
In singles action, Klopfer knocked off Gonzalez in a 6-3, 6-0 decision in the top spot of the lineup. Althans won a second-set tiebreaker in a 6-0, 7-6 win over Imhof at No. 2 singles, while DeNucci was a 6-3, 6-4 winner against James in the third spot. Althans is now 2-0 on the year, as she had scored the only Villanova point in a 6-1 loss to Delaware on February 14 in the season opener 35 days earlier.
 
Strande won her No. 4 singles match with a 7-5, 6-3 decision against Zhong. Steffen debuted for the Wildcats at No. 6 singles and was a 6-4, 7-5 winner against Singh. The only loss for Villanova came in the No. 5 singles match where sophomore Caitlin Fisher (Cincinnati, Ohio) fell in a narrow 7-5, 6-4 defeat to Rachel Buchinsky.
 
Villanova will be back in action this coming Tuesday when it faces Temple.