Women's Tennis | 4/10/2026 7:00:00 AM

WEEKEND PREVIEW 
As the 2025-26 regular season comes to an end this weekend, the Saint Francis women's tennis team looks to end its memorable campaign on a high note as it travels to Stonehill on Saturday, April 11, at the Charles Watt Tennis Courts in North Easton, Mass., with first serve set for 11 a.m. The following day, the Red Flash will conclude the season with one final non-conference match at Siena, with a 1:15 p.m. start at the Siena Tennis Center in Albany, N.Y.

LAST TIME OUT  
Saint Francis women's tennis saw its month-long unbeaten run end with a narrow 4-3 loss to Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday. The Red Flash delivered strong performances in both doubles and singles, highlighted by wins from Kelly Dowuona, Dasha Chichkina, and Reagen Mangan. At the same time, Chichkina and Mangan each extended their individual win streaks.

OPENING SERVE VS STONEHILL
After finishing the 2024-25 campaign with an overall record of 7-10, Stonehill went 3-2 in NEC play before falling to Wagner 4-1 in the Quarterfinal Round. Entering the spring portion of the 2025-26 schedule, the Skyhawks were picked to finish seventh in the NEC preseason poll. Heading into this weekend, head coach Peter Miller's squad is 4-9 and is led by standout freshman Iliana deArmas, who carries a team-leading 8-12 singles record.

THE LAST TIME WE MET ON THE COURT 
The last time the Red Flash faced Stonehill was last season, when Saint Francis posted a 5-2 victory over the Skyhawks at Mansion Park in Altoona, Pa. In that match, Morgan Tuffs and Kelly Dowuona claimed a 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles.

HEAD TO HEAD 
Saint Francis holds an all-time perfect record against Stonehill, winning all three of the programs' previous meetings.

OPENING SERVE VS SIENA
Picked to finish sixth out of nine teams in the MAAC preseason poll, the Siena Saints enter the weekend with an 8-8 overall record. Siena returns five key players from last year's 8-11 squad, including seniors Madeline De Faber-Schumacher and Reegan Mullaney, along with juniors Manuela Gomez, Zaara Omar, and Andrea Vargas. Together, this veteran core has compiled a combined career record of 47-56.

THE LAST TIME WE MET ON THE COURT 
Looking back to the 2014 season, the last matchup between these two programs, Saint Francis swept Siena, 7-0.

HEAD TO HEAD 
Having met only twice prior to this weekend's matchup, the Red Flash remain undefeated in the series, winning both previous meetings dating back to the 2013 season.

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).