Women's Tennis | 4/15/2026 7:00:00 AM
WEEKEND PREVIEW
After finishing the 2025-26 campaign with an overall record of 13-8 and a conference record of 6-1, the Saint Francis women's tennis team has been officially seeded second. It will face the seventh-seeded Chicago State team on Thursday, April 16, at 11:30 a.m. in the NEC women's tennis championship tournament quarterfinal, hosted at the Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, N.J.
LAST TIME OUT
The Red Flash tennis team closed out the 2025-26 regular season on a high note, rolling past Siena, 6-1, on Sunday afternoon at Tri-City Fitness Center in Albany, N.Y. In a season filled with milestones, it was fitting that it concluded with another. With her 6-1, 6-1 victory in singles competition, Helena Lynn earned her 25th win of the year, breaking the record for the most wins by a freshman in women's program history, previously held by Dowuona and Chichkina. She also moved into second place for most wins in a single season. The record, currently 27, is held solely by Diana Zuba, who set it last year.
OPENING SERVE VS CHICAGO STATE
Finishing their 2025-26 campaign with an overall record of 1-23 and a 1-4 conference mark, Chicago State looks to play spoiler in its first year in the NEC. Led by head coach Keiran President, the Cougars' standout this season has undoubtedly been junior Karolina Skowronski, who finished the year with a 12-13 overall singles record. Throughout the season, she collected four Prime Performer honors and two Player of the Week awards.
THE LAST TIME WE MET ON THE COURT
The last time these two programs faced off was in 2015, in a natural-site match, when the Red Flash won 4-3 in Fort Wayne, Ind.
HEAD TO HEAD
With the first encounter dating back to the 2011 season, these two teams are meeting for the third time. Both teams are currently tied, having split their previous two meetings.
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).
