CAYCE, S.C. – The Villanova men's tennis team opens BIG EAST Championship play on Friday, April 17, taking on top-seeded St. John's at 9:00 a.m. in South Carolina.

The Wildcats enter the tournament looking to rebound after a road loss to Georgetown in their regular-season finale. The Hoyas seized early control by claiming the doubles point with wins on courts one and three, then carried that momentum into singles, capturing five of six matches. Villanova's lone point came at No. 6 singles, where Evan Ancu earned a straight-set victory.

Friday's matchup will mark the first meeting of the season between Villanova and St. John's after their scheduled April 7 contest in Philadelphia was canceled due to cold weather.

St. John's claimed the top seed in the tournament following a perfect 4-0 mark in BIG EAST play, with wins over Butler, Xavier, Creighton, and Georgetown. The Red Storm also posted a strong 16-6 overall record and have now earned the conference's top seed for the fifth time in the past eight seasons.

The two programs met in last year's BIG EAST quarterfinals, where St. John's advanced with a 4-0 victory.

The winner of Friday's match will move on to Saturday's semifinals to face either No. 4 Georgetown or No. 5 Butler. First serve is scheduled for 9:00 a.m.