Men's Tennis | 3/13/2026 10:55:00 PM
WEEKEND PREVIEW
The Saint Francis men's tennis team enters this weekend with an overall record of 4-8 and a 1-1 mark in NEC play. Coming off their spring break slate, which featured the Red Flash splitting their four matches in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the team returns for its first home match in over a month. Coach Hovan and his players look to get back on track as they take on NEC foe Binghamton on Sunday, March 15, at the Ebensburg Tennis Center in Ebensburg, Pa., with a 1 p.m. start.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis wrapped up its spring break trip with a 5–2 win over Spring Arbor, powered by a strong showing in singles. The Red Flash won five of six singles matches, highlighted by victories from Kevin Titus Suresh, Blake Lorenzo, Jonah Ng, Mario Beckles, and Deven Pandey. At the same time, Lorenzo and Beau Welker also picked up a 6–4 win at No. 1 doubles.
OPENING SERVE VS BINGHAMTON
This weekend's matchup will be just the fifth time that these two programs face off on the court, with the Red Flash still looking for a win against the Bearcats. The last matchup between these two programs was just last season when Binghamton beat Saint Francis 3-4 in the NEC Championship.
SCOUTING THE BEARCAT'S
Voted first place in the NEC men's tennis coaches poll, Reigning NEC Coach of the Year Nick Zieziula looks to continue his winning ways and claim his third straight NEC men's tennis title. Looking at the roster, six players from last season's championship team returned, including Seniors Jonathan Arbittier, Andrew Fang, Ronin Lotlikar, and James McPherson, along with Juniors Andre Ajed and Filipe Costa. Currently sitting with a 4-8 record, the Bearcats look to win their second straight NEC conference match this season, after besting Stonehill in early February by a score of 5-2.
NEXT SERVE
The Saint Francis men's tennis team is back in action next weekend as they take on another busy three-game slate against Duquesne, LIU, and Bucknell. The first match of the weekend will be against the Dukes on Senior Night at the Ebensburg Tennis Center in Ebensburg, Pa, at 6 p.m.
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).
