NEW YORK—Despite an abbreviated regular season which saw the team only able to play nine matches, Villanova (6-3) drew the #3 seed in the 2021 BIG EAST Championships Presented by JEEP which get underway later this week at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center in Cayce, S.C. The high seed for the Wildcats affords the team a bye in the first round and Villanova will play in the quarterfinals on Friday morning at 9 a.m. against the winner of a first round match between #6 Creighton and #11 Providence.
The shortened season has been a successful one for the Wildcats, who enter the conference championships having won five consecutive matches against BIG EAST opponents. The winning streak is highlighted by a 5-2 home win over St. John's and a come-from-behind 4-3 victory on the road at Connecticut. Villanova is also bolstered by recent success at the BIG EAST Championships, with the team advancing to a semifinal appearance the last time the tournament was held in 2019.
In their nine regular season matches the Wildcats have posted an overall record of 30-18 (.625) in singles matches and 17-6 (.739) in doubles action. Junior
Annalise Klopfer (Palm Harbor, Fla.) has been a steady performer at the top of the lineup in both singles and doubles. The transfer from Navy is 4-4 in singles while playing exclusively in the No. 1 position and she is 8-1 in doubles matches while teaming primarily with senior
Lexi DeNucci (Glastonbury, Conn.). Klopfer was named the BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week earlier this month after the win over St. John's when she defeated three-time BIG EAST Athlete of the Year Jessica Livianu in straight sets.
Villanova has had a consistent top four in its lineup throughout the year with the likes of Klopfer, senior
Claudia Althans (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), DeNucci and junior
Emily Strande (Centennial, Colo.) all being steady contributors. Althans owns a 6-3 record at No. 2 singles, while DeNucci is a team-best 7-1 in the third spot and Strande is 5-2 at the No. 4 position. Althans and DeNucci are the most experienced of the veterans on the Wildcats roster and have won a combined 175 career matches. Althans is 45-26 in singles and 50-20 in doubles during her collegiate career, while DeNucci is 37-32 in singles and 43-28 in doubles.
Other players who have contributed in the Villanova lineup this season are sophomore
Caitlin Fisher (Cincinnati, Ohio), freshman
Rose Kenny (Charlotte, N.C.) and freshman
Bella Steffen (Cary, N.C.). Steffen is 5-2 in singles matches while playing in the fifth and sixth spots, while Kenny has gone 3-2 in doubles teaming with junior
Sabina Grigorian (Atlanta, Ga.). The pair has gone 1-0 in No. 2 doubles and 2-2 in No. 3 doubles matches.
Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center is the host of the BIG EAST Championships for the fifth consecutive year. The facility offers 30 lighted world-class courts with a championship-sized stadium court that has a viewing capacity of approximately 500 spectators. There are seven dedicated 38' courts for 8 & Under Tennis. Courts are complete with a small central gazebo, iced water coolers and electrical outlets on every court for ball-machine use.
Seeds for the conference championships were determined by a committee that reviewed each team's regular season schedule, ITA rankings, results against BIG EAST and common non-conference opponents and wins/losses against ranked foes.
The Men's and Women's Championship matches will be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) Presented by SoFi on YouTube and FloSports. John Fanta and Joe Gentry will host whip-around coverage from the six championship courts. The Men's Championship broadcast begins at 9 a.m. on Sunday, and the Women's Championship coverage starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
There is no charge for admission to the tournament. Merchandise is available for purchase through Shop.BIGEAST.com.
