BRYN MAWR, Pa.—In the first dual match of the spring season Villanova (1-0) won four of the six singles matches and came from behind to defeat Jefferson (3-2) by a final score of 4-3 at the Bryn Mawr Racquet Club on Friday evening. Sophomore Ryan Nguyen (Oakton, Va.) won in straight sets in his No. 6 singles match to clinch the team result in a hard-fought competition that swung back and forth during singles play.
 
The visiting Rams won two of the three doubles matches to score the first point of the night. Based on the order of finish in the singles matches, the Wildcats went in front by a 2-1 margin before Jefferson posted wins in the No. 1 and No. 3 singles matches to retake a 3-2 advantage. The final two matches to finish were at No. 2 and No. 6 where freshman Trey Fourticq (Loos Angeles, Calif.) and Nguyen sent Villanova home victorious.
 
"Jefferson was a formidable opponent who pushed us the whole match," Wildcats head coach Brad Adams said. "They put is in a hole early, but I was proud of how all our guys reacted to the challenge especially considering it was the first match of the year. The guys on court showed a lot of composure, and as a team were able to gut out the win. We will get back to work and prepare for the next match against Delaware next Friday."
 
The doubles matches to open the night were as competitive as the singles competitions that followed. Fourticq teamed with sophomore Eitan Khromchenko (Manalapan, N.J.) to win the No. 2 match, 6-2, over Enrique Soto Ballester and Jamil Racho. That win forced the doubles point to come down to the final match, as the Rams had tallied a 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles where Mario Antonio and Odissey Kavak were 6-1 winners over junior Justin Suarez (Manila, Philippines) and sophomore Anthony Prokurat (Manalapan, N.J.).
 
In the No. 1 doubles match, the team of senior Matthew Jones (Dallas, Texas) and sophomore Josh Robinson (Potomac, Md.) fell in a close 6-4 decision to Hubert Theriault and German Lopez Andujar. Jones would later score Villanova's first point of the night when he outlasted Kavak for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 4 singles.
 
Fourticq also went to a third set at No. 2 singles before defeating Lopez in a 7-5, 3-6, 6-0 victory. Junior Alex Kim (Cary, N.C.) won a tiebreaker at the end of the second set to win his No. 5 singles match over Soto Ballester by scores of 6-3, 7-6 (3). Nguyen provided the clinching point with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Racho in the sixth spot. It was a familiar sight for Nguyen, who went 7-3 in No. 6 singles matches as a freshman last season and tied for third on the team overall in singles wins in 2021.
 
The two wins for Jefferson in singles competition came at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots in the lineup. Both matches were close, including a three-set affair at No. 3 singles where Antonio edged Khromchenko for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win. Robinson narrowly lost to Theriault by a 7-6 (4), 7-5 margin in the No. 1 match.
 
There was some familiarity between the teams despite the Wildcats playing for the first time this Spring. Villanova played several matches against Jefferson at the Saint Joseph's Invitational in the fall, including a doubles win for Fourticq and Khromchenko against a team consisting of Antonio and Soto Ballester. Three of the same four players made up the draw in the No. 2 doubles match on Friday night.
 
Next up for the Wildcats is a road match against Delaware next Friday at 12 p.m. in Wilmington, Del.