PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Villanova (4-3) rallied to win the doubles point but wound up falling in a narrow 4-3 decision to Penn in a match that saw three singles competitions go to a third set at the Hamlin Tennis Center on Tuesday afternoon. Senior Lexi DeNucci (Glastonbury, Conn.) improved to 6-1 on the season with a win at No. 3 singles after the Wildcats tallied wins in the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches. The loss snapped Villanova's three-match winning streak.
 
DeNucci and junior Annalise Klopfer (Palm Harbor, Fla.) improved to 6-1 on the season in the No. 1 doubles spot with a 7-5 win over Iuliia Bryzgalova and Marija Curnic, while senior Claudia Althans (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and junior Emily Strande (Centennial, Colo.) tallied a 7-5 win in the No. 2 doubles match against Iris Gallo and Ekaterina Vinnik. The host Quakers won the first doubles match to finish, as Clarise Huang and Gibson Thomas were 6-2 winners against junior Sabina Grigorian (Atlanta, Ga.) and freshman Rose Kenny (Charlotte, N.C.). 
 
The team result came down to the final two singles matches to conclude in the No. 1 and No. 4 spots in the lineup. Villanova was awarded a forfeit win in the No. 6 singles position, but Penn tallied wins in the No. 2 and No. 5 matches to tie the match at 2-2. Althans fell to Gallo in the second spot in the lineup by set scores of 6-1 and 6-3, while sophomore Caitlin Fisher (Cincinnati, Ohio) battled Huang in the No. 5 match before narrowly falling 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.
 
DeNucci defeated Vinnik in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) in the No. 3 singles match as the Wildcats went back in front by a 3-2 margin, but the Quakers overcame losing the first set in the first and fourth spots of the lineup to record slim victories. Klopfer fell in a tight 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 match in the top spot and Strande was defeated by a nearly identical 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 result to Thomas at No. 4.
 
Villanova returns home on Saturday at 12 p.m. for a match against Georgetown.