Women's Tennis | 3/31/2026 7:00:00 AM
WEEKEND PREVIEW
Riding into the week having won six straight matches, Saint Francis women's tennis looks to continue their winning ways into April as the NEC playoffs grow ever closer. On the road yet again, the Red Flash look to keep the positive momentum going against Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday, April 1, at the Mount St.Mary's Tennis Courts in Emmitsburg, MD, at 2 pm.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis women's tennis extended its dominant run with a 6-1 win over Mercyhurst on Friday night. The Red Flash secured the doubles point and controlled singles play, winning five of six matches thanks to standout performances from sophomore Dasha Chichkina, freshman Helena Lynn, and junior Reagen Mangan. This victory pushed their winning streak to six matches.
OPENING SERVE VS MOUNT ST. MARY'S
Entering this week's match against the Red Flash, the Mountaineers were picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. So far this season, Mount St. Mary's is 7-7 and has won its last five matches. One key player to watch for the Mountaineers is sophomore Venus Tang, who led the team with 12 singles wins last season and currently has a team-high nine singles victories in the 2025-26 campaign.
THE LAST TIME WE MET ON THE COURT
Saint Francis last faced Mount St. Mary's in the spring of 2024, where the Red Flash claimed a 6-1 victory. During that match, Current junior Reagen Mangan won the No. 2 match by a score of 6-3, 6-2, resulting in her 13th singles win of the season.
HEAD TO HEAD
In their 20th ever encounter between these two programs, Saint Francis leads the way in terms of all-time wins with 10 wins over the Mountaineers.
NEXT SERVE
Saint Francis women's tennis returns to play next weekend on Saturday, April 11, concluding NEC play against Stonehill at the Charles Watt Tennis Courts in North Easton, Mass., with a start time of 1 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.
PRESEASON POLL
Announced on Tuesday, Feb. 3, the Saint Francis women's tennis team was voted to finish second in the NEC preseason poll. FDU earned the unanimous No.1 spot. Behind the Red Flash were Le Moyne at No.3, LIU at No.4, and Wagner rounding out the top five at No. 5.
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.
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).
