Women's Tennis | 12/11/2025 12:19:00 PM

Saint Francis University women's tennis head coach Eric Hovan has announced the 2026 schedule, which includes 16 regular-season matches: five home contests and 11 away matches, and six NEC matchups.

As the women's team enters the spring segment of the 2025-26 season, it aims to build on its success from last year when it reached the program's first NEC championship match. The roster features several outstanding returners, including the nationally ranked underclassmen duo of Sophia Cunningham and Emma Marais, who are ranked 81st in the ITA doubles rankings.

" We are really excited for the challenge that our upcoming season brings," said Hovan. "I feel that we have really challenged ourselves in our non-conference matches and that we will be well prepared for success in the NEC." 

The season commences on Jan. 17, when Saint Francis travels to Navy in Annapolis, Md., marking its fifth visit in six years. The Red Flash will face the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Sarni Tennis Center on Jan. 18. 

Saint Francis will compete in the first of three home matches, starting with Eastern Michigan on Jan. 25 and concluding with Colgate on Jan. 31. Its first NEC matchup will take place on Feb. 7 against LeMoyne.

On Feb. 8, the Red Flash will travel to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne at the Oxford Athletic Club, seeking to avenge a narrow 4-3 defeat in their previous meeting.

Conference play resumes on Feb. 15, as the team travels to Hershey, Pa, to face FDU. The last meeting between the Red Flash and the Knights in Hershey was closely contested, with the Red Flash unable to complete a comeback.

The following weekend, Saint Francis will continue its journey in the Northeast, facing Lehigh on Feb. 21 and Lafayette on Feb. 22. The Red Flash have not competed against these programs in some time, last facing Lehigh on Feb. 27, 2022, and Lafayette on March 23, 2023.

The Red Flash will return for their final two home matches of the spring season against NEC opponents Binghamton on March 15 and LIU on March 21.

Saint Francis concludes March in Erie, Pa, with a match against Mercyhurst on March 27. In their last encounter with the Lakers before the NEC Tournament, Hovan's team posted a commanding 6-1 victory, including a doubles sweep.

A few days later, on April 1, Saint Francis will head south of the Mason-Dixon Line to face Mount St. Mary's in its second-to-last nonconference match. The Red Flash last competed against the Mountaineers in the spring of 2024, winning 6-1 despite dropping two doubles matches.

Regular-season NEC play will conclude on April 11, when Saint Francis embarks on a long bus journey to Stonehill in North Easton, Mass. The spring portion of the 2025-26 season will wrap up on April 12 when the Red Flash face the Saints of Siena. 

The NEC Tournament takes place from April 16 through April 19, when the top four seeded teams in the standings face off at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, N.J.