ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Returning home for its second match in as many days, the Navy women’s tennis team (3-1) got back in the win column with a 5-2 victory over Villanova (0-3) on Sunday afternoon at the Tose Family Tennis Center.
 
A bounce-back performance from juniors Kate Lee and Parvathi Shanker helped give Navy an early edge in doubles play, as the Midshipmen’s No. 3 pairing posted a 6-2 win over Valieriia Kornieva and Amanda Rivera-Gonzalez.
 
Despite this, the Wildcats would go on to claim the doubles point, as No. 2 pairing Emily Callahan and Maggie Gehrig defeated freshmen Makaila Cheng and Olivia Fermo, 6-3, and the duo of Ami Grace Dougah and Miriam Gondorova held off a late rally from the senior captain Stella Ribaudo and junior Emily Tannenbaum on the top court, 7-5, after Ribaudo and Tannenbaum battled back from down 5-2 to tie the match at 5-5.
 
Tannenbaum continued her singles dominance to bring the team score even, finishing off a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Dougah in the No. 1 spot, while freshmen Manci Pal and Julia Lee both grabbed wins to put the Mids ahead. Playing on the No. 4 court, Pal was able to beat Kornieva by a 6-4, 6-4 score, while Lee did the same to Emma Brogan on the No. 6 court by an identical score.
 
Fellow freshman Anna Jordaan clinched the Navy win at the No. 5 position, going three sets to outlast Jenna Stevens, 7-5, 0-6, 6-0.
 
Wrapping up the day, sophomore Sia Chaudry’s victory over Gehrig on the second court came down to the wire in a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) final, while Gondorova scored Villanova’s lone singles win by battling past senior Samantha Johns, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, in the No. 3 matchup.
 
Head Coach Keith Puryear Comments
“Today was a good way to bounce back from yesterday’s loss at Richmond. Villanova came in determined today, as they were a team much better than their 0-2 record indicated, with both losses coming to two regionally-ranked teams. I think we showed a lot of grit this weekend and we just need to continue to clean some things up.”
 
Match Notes
• Navy is now 11-0 in the all-time series against Villanova.
• Tannenbaum’s singles win moved her past former teammate Kacey Moore for career singles victories, as the junior now stands alone in fourth in program history at 71 singles wins.
 
Up Next
Navy continues non-conference action next weekend, hosting Howard and Saint Joseph’s for a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 3 before traveling to Delaware on Sunday, Feb. 4.