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VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Villanova men’s tennis team returns to BIG EAST action on Saturday, April 4, hosting DePaul at 2:30 p.m. on its home courts.
The Wildcats enter the matchup still searching for their first conference win, sitting at 0-2 in BIG EAST play. In their most recent outing, Villanova dropped a 5-2 decision to Rider.
Rider set the tone early by sweeping all three doubles matches to take the opening point. Villanova’s pairs of Ethan Carr/Cooper Gordon, Kush Anand/Thomas Wakefield, and Quincy Jones/Jack Sherner each competed hard, but the Broncs carried a 1-0 advantage into singles play.
In singles, Rider extended its lead by claiming four of the first five completed matches. Matt Froberg Dahlin and Cole Thurgur picked up straight-set wins at the top two spots, while Axl Engstrom added another victory at No. 4. Heath Paul Waters clinched the match for Rider with a three-set win over Kush Anand after dropping the opening set.
Villanova found success in the bottom half of the lineup. Thomas Wakefield earned a hard-fought three-set win at No. 5, while Cameron Kruep followed with a straight-set victory at No. 6 to close the match on a positive note for the Wildcats.
DePaul enters the weekend with a 5-12 overall record and a 2-0 mark in BIG EAST play. The Blue Demons have recorded wins over Butler, Cal Poly, Army, Xavier, and Coastal Carolina this season, and will take on Georgetown on Friday ahead of Saturday’s matchup.
Villanova will look to break through and earn its first conference victory of the season against DePaul.