CAYCE, S.C. – The Villanova women's tennis team has earned the No. 6 seed in the BIG EAST Championship and will open tournament play against No. 11 seed Providence on Thursday, April 16, at 9:00 a.m.
The Wildcats enter postseason play with an 11-9 overall record and a 1-3 mark in BIG EAST competition. Their conference victory came in impressive fashion on the road, as Villanova defeated Seton Hall, 4-1. After dropping the doubles point, the Wildcats rallied in singles, winning four matches to secure the comeback win. Senior
Maggie Gehrig led the charge with a 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 2 singles, followed by junior
Jenna Stevens, who earned a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 4. Junior
Lauren Monti added a 6-2, 6-2 decision, while sophomore
Alina Kornyeva dominated at No. 6 with a 6-1, 6-0 performance.
Villanova carries strong momentum into the tournament after a commanding 7-0 sweep of Haverford on Senior Day, marking its 11th win of the season. The Wildcats set the tone early by sweeping all three doubles matches. The No. 1 duo of
Emi Callahan and
Maggie Gehrig led with a 6-1 victory, while the No. 2 pair of
Lauren Monti and
Jenna Stevens, along with
Riley Cicero and
Savie Seebald at No. 3, mirrored that scoreline.
In singles play, Villanova continued its dominance, winning all six matches in straight sets.
Olivia Corcoran earned a win at the top spot after her opponent retired following a 6-0 opening set. Stevens and Cicero added decisive victories at No. 2 (6-0, 6-0) and No. 4 (6-3, 6-2), respectively.
Savie Seebald and
Emi Callahan secured wins at No. 5 and No. 6, with Callahan not dropping a single game. Kornyeva completed the sweep with a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 3.
Providence enters the tournament with a 5-12 overall record and an 0-5 mark in BIG EAST play. The Friars fell to Seton Hall, St. John's, Creighton, Marquette, and UConn during conference competition, with wins this season over Assumption, Franklin Pierce, Merrimack, Holy Cross, and New Haven.
The winner of Thursday's match will advance to face No. 3 seed St. John's in the quarterfinal round on Friday, April 17, at 1:00 p.m.
BIG EAST Championship Seeds
1 – Xavier
2 – DePaul
3 – St. John's
4 – Georgetown
5 – UConn
6 – Villanova
7 – Creighton
8 – Marquette
9 – Seton Hall
10 – Butler
11 – Providence
Tournament Schedule
Thursday, April 16 – First Round (9 a.m.)
• #6 Villanova vs. #11 Providence
• #7 Creighton vs. #10 Butler
• #8 Marquette vs. #9 Seton Hall
Friday, April 17 – Quarterfinals (1 p.m.)
• #1 Xavier vs. Marquette/Seton Hall winner
• #2 DePaul vs. Creighton/Butler winner
• #3 St. John's vs. Villanova/Providence winner
• #4 Georgetown vs. #5 UConn
Saturday, April 18 – Semifinals (1 p.m.)
Sunday, April 19 – Championship (1 p.m.)
