Men and Women’s Tennis Play in Action-Packed Weekend

James Haupt Staff Writer

Villanova’s tennis teams had action-packed weekends with matches across the Northeast.

The men’s team was able to bounce back from a 2-0 start, beating Bucknell on the fi rst day of action. However, on their second day of play, Villanova fell short to Penn State, dropping its record to 1-3 on the season.

The men’s match against Bucknell was expected to be a close one, and it did not disappoint. The Wildcats won 4-3 on an impressive day for those who had singles matches.

The ‘Cats went 4-2 in singles, which included victories from junior captain Josh Robinson, freshman Tighe Brunetti, freshman Cooper Gordon and ended with a clutch win from sophomore Ryan Nguyen.

Prior to these victories, the day began with three doubles matches as Villanova went 1-2, losing the fi rst team point. The only duo to win was a pair of juniors, Robinson and Noah Winton. These two Wildcats took a 6-3 victory, marking a huge improvement for Villanova in the doubles category.

“We got to work with different combinations and overall execute on the court,” said head coach Brad Adams. Adjusting the doubles teams and their success could be rewarding for the Wildcats in future matches.

On the second day of men’s weekend, the Wildcats suff ered a diffi cult 6-1 loss to Penn State.

Villanova lost two doubles matches, with one being left incomplete with Penn State ahead. The Wildcats then lost all their singles matches in close, competitive matches.

Regardless of the loss, the main positive note of the day was

Brunetti who won yet another singles match against the number two player for Penn State.

“He’s a total animal on the court,” Adams said of Tighe’s performance this weekend. This win marked Brunetti’s second victory of the weekend.

The men’s team will now head to Rider on Friday, February 10th, as they look to bring their record back to .500.

The women’s team had its third match of the season, against NJIT, to which it lost 7-0.

It was a tough loss for the Wildcats as the women’s team now falls to 1-2. Despite this loss, the women were able to take a win in the doubles matches.

The duo of senior captain Amanda Rivera-González and junior Bella Steff en had a 6-2 victory. This marked the only win that Villanova had, as it lost the other doubles matches and was swept in the singles matches.

Despite the loss, coach Steve Reiniger said that he was “pleased that [they] competed.”

“I just want to see us continue to compete well,” he said.

Looking forward to this coming weekend, Reiniger noted how “all six players need to perform to win,” in their upcoming match.

The Wildcats will hit the road again on Friday, February 10th, for their match against the Delaware Blue Hens.