Women's Tennis | 2/20/2026 11:10:00 PM

OPENING SERVE VS LEHIGH
This is the 11th time these two programs have faced off, with Lehigh winning nine of the last 10 matches. The last match occurred during the 2021 season, where the Red Flash lost 4-2.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS 
Coming off a 12-8 season, Lehigh fell in the championship match to Army. Entering 2025, the Mountain Hawks return eight members from the previous season, including sophomore Maggie Forkner, who posted a 10-5 record.

OPENING SERVE VS LAFAYETTE 
This is the sixth meeting between the Red Flash and the Leopards, with Saint Francis winning every matchup since the 2016 season. The last encounter was last season when the Red Flash defeated Lafayette 4-3.

SCOUTING THE LEOPARDS  
Lafayette finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 7-13, losing in the quarterfinals to Army. The Leopards return talent from last year's squad, including captains junior Hanna Ganchi, senior Alyssa Perdomo, and senior Alexandria Vollero.

LAST TIME OUT 
Saint Francis dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to NEC rival FDU on Sunday at the Hershey Tennis Center. The Red Flash secured the doubles point with wins from Kelly Dowuona and Gabriela Almanza (6-4) and Sophia Cunningham and Emma Marais (7-5). In singles, Dowuona earned her 71st career victory with a three-set win, while Reagen Mangan outlasted her opponent in a third-set tiebreak, 7-6 (11-9), for the final Red Flash point.

STRAIGHT FROM THE COACH'S MOUTH
When asked about the neutral-site showdown against FDU in Hershey, Pa., assistant head coach Philip Palko shared his thoughts: "We talked a lot about getting the doubles point, and with a huge come-from-behind effort at 3 doubles from Emma and Sophia, they pulled that off after a solid effort at 2 from Kelly and Gaby. The singles featured some great matchups, and we just came up a little short. The match had a lot of energy and was really exciting."

Head Coach Eric Hovan gave him a view of the weekend soon after. "The women's team is coming off two very intense, high-level matches against Bucknell and FDU," Hovan said. "We had a slow start in doubles but rallied to win five of the six singles matches, securing a 5-2 road victory. It was our first-ever win at Bucknell, and we've now won three of the last four doubles matches there."

Coach later said, "In a rematch of the NEC Championship against FDU, I am beyond proud of how hard we competed. We came up just short in a 4-3 match, but we proved to ourselves that it's a winnable matchup. We hope to have another shot at them in the NEC Tournament." Hovan then emphasized the team's continued growth."We are definitely improving each match and doing a great job of supporting one another," he said. "We're looking forward to the challenges ahead this weekend."

AT THE HELM 
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 Feb. 9, Dowuona is at 11-10, bringing her career total to 71 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).