Women's Tennis | 2/13/2026 7:00:00 AM

Friday, Feb.13 | Bucknell | Lewisburg, PA | Central PA Tennis Center | 6pm 

Sunday, Feb.15 | FDU | Hershey, PA | Hershey Tennis Center | 6pm 

OPENING SERVE VS BUCKNELL
Saint Francis women's tennis opens this weekend on the road, taking on the Bison of Bucknell at the Central PA Tennis Center in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, with a start time of 6 p.m. This marks just the 14th encounter between these two teams, dating back to the 2011 season.

SCOUTING THE BISON 
Coming off a 10-11 season that saw the Bison lose 4-3 in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Championships to Lehigh, Bucknell is preparing for the 2025-26 season. Despite losing some key players, seniors Abby Platt and Mirra Manolov have remained and were named team captains.

OPENING SERVE VS FDU 
Following the showdown against the Bison, the women's team hit the road and traveled east to Chocolate Town, better known as Hershey, Pennsylvania, to take on the FDU Knights at the Hershey Tennis Center at 6 p.m. This marks the 12th time since 2013 that these two programs have squared off on the court, and the second time both teams have met at the neutral site in Hershey.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS  
Coming off a championship-winning season in the NEC last year, the Knights returned two standout players from the 2025 All-Tournament Team: senior Yelena Kim and junior Katsiaryna Kostisina. FDU also added young talent with first-year standouts Sophia Fredericks-McKee and Oleksandra Ovsiienko.

LAST TIME OUT 
Saint Francis women's tennis split its weekend, defeating Le Moyne, 6-1, on Saturday before falling to Duquesne, 5-2, on Sunday. The Red Flash swept doubles in both matches, while senior Kelly Dowuona recorded two singles wins over the weekend as the team moved to 3-5 overall.

FLASH QUOTES 
Following this weekend's matches, head coach Eric Hovan shared his thoughts on the team's performance and overall progress. "We're coming off a solid effort against a really good Duquesne squad," Hovan said. "The final two matches were lost in third-set tiebreakers, so we were literally a handful of points away from a signature win."

Hovan said he was especially encouraged by the team's doubles play. "I was really encouraged by how well our doubles teams competed, winning all three matches," he said. "Our No. 3 team of Sophia Cunningham and Emma Marais has been very solid for us all season. Kelly Dowuona and Gabriela Almanza rallied from 0-5, and Helena Lynn and Reagen Mangan came back from 3-5, so you have to love the fight."

Despite the strong performances, Hovan noted the team is still working to break through in close matches. "Duquesne and Navy were two matches where we had chances for big wins, but we haven't found a way to get over the hump yet," he said. "Bucknell is always a 4-3 match one way or another. We lost to FDU in the NEC Championship last year, so we're excited for the opportunity to see if we can rise to the occasion."

NEXT TIME OUT 
Following this weekend's matches, head coach Eric Hovan shared his thoughts on the team's performance and overall progress. "We're coming off a solid effort against a really good Duquesne squad," Hovan said. "The final two matches were lost in third-set tiebreakers, so we were literally a handful of points away from a signature win."

Hovan said he was especially encouraged by the team's doubles play. "I was really encouraged by how well our doubles teams competed, winning all three matches," he said. "Our No. 3 team of Sophia Cunningham and Emma Marais has been very solid for us all season. Kelly Dowuona and Gabriela Almanza rallied from 0-5, and Helena Lynn and Reagen Mangan came back from 3-5, so you have to love the fight."

Despite the strong performances, Hovan noted the team is still working to break through in close matches. "Duquesne and Navy were two matches where we had chances for big wins, but we haven't found a way to get over the hump yet," he said. "Bucknell is always a 4-3 match one way or another. We lost to FDU in the NEC Championship last year, so we're excited for the opportunity to see if we can rise to the occasion."

ABOUT THE COACH
As head coach, Hovan continues his fifth season in Loretto. Very few words can describe his career other than "successful," as he's helped both the men's and women's teams reach new heights. In 2023-24, he was named NEC Coach of the Year after helping the men reach their second NEC Championship Game. Last season, the women's tennis team made the NEC Championship Game for the first time in program history.
 

NATIONAL RECOGNITION IN THE LO'
On Nov.25 of 2025, the Saint Francis University women's tennis doubles team of Sophia Cunningham and Emma Marais earned national recognition from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), marking the program's first after going 6-1 in the fall slate of the 2025 season. As of this writing, the underclassmen duo is still the only NEC doubles team nationally ranked during the 2026-26 season.

ALL-TIME LEADER
Senior Kelly Dowuona is the program's all-time leader in combined wins and, as of Friday, Sept. 6, the all-time leader in singles matches with 59 victories. Last season, she posted a 24-12 singles record and a 21-14 doubles record. Her 24 singles wins are tied for the second-most in a single season in program history, a record also achieved by Dasha Chichkina in 2024-25. As of February 9th, the senior is at 9-10, bringing her career total to 69 wins.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK 
While the Red Flash women's tennis team boasts experience from last year's championship team, Coach Hovan and Assistant Coach Palko added four first-year players: Gabriela Almanza (Orlando, Florida/Lake Nona), Helena Lynn (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania/Mother Divine Grace), Emma Marais (Lodi, California/Vista Oaks Charter), and Julia Ritchey (Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania/Central).