Women's Tennis | 3/13/2026 10:36:00 PM

WEEKEND PREVIEW 
The Saint Francis women's tennis team enters this weekend with an overall record of 8-7 and a 2-1 mark in NEC play. Coming off its spring break slate, which featured the Red Flash winning three of 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 continue their winning ways as they take on NEC foe Binghamton on Sunday, March 15, at the Ebensburg Tennis Center in Ebensburg, Pa., with a noon start.

LAST TIME OUT  
Saint Francis concluded its spring break schedule with two decisive wins, defeating Spring Arbor University, 5-2, and sweeping Tiffin University, 7-0, in Hilton Head. The Red Flash secured the doubles point in both matches and won nine of 12 singles contests. Helena Lynn extended her singles winning streak to five, while Sophia Cunningham earned her first singles victory of the spring season.

OPENING SERVE VS BINGHAMTON 
Entering the spring slate of the 2025-26 season, Binghamton women's tennis was selected sixth in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll after finishing 7-12 (1-6 NEC) in the spring last season. The Bearcats return four players from last season's squad to the 2025-26 roster: senior Loren Cuomo, juniors Samantha Jaros and Nitya Vyas, and sophomore Clara Arbeloa Lopez.

THE LAST TIME WE PLAYED THE BEARCAT'S 
The last time these two programs faced off on the court was just a few months ago, when the Red Flash took on Binghamton at the UB Tennis Courts/Miller Tennis Center in Buffalo, N.Y. During that match, Saint Francis defeated the Bearcats, 5-2.

NEXT SERVE
The Saint Francis women's tennis team is back in action next weekend as they take on the sharks of LIU in another pivotal NEC matchup with conference tournament implications at the Gorilla House Gym in Altoona, Pa., at 5 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).