Women's Tennis Takes 4-3 Loss, Men Fights to 5-2 Win vs. Villanova

Friday, February 19

Legacy Center

11 a.m.

Drexel University

Villanova

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Tennis Takes 4-3 Loss, Men Fights to 5-2 Win vs. Villanova

2/19/2016 5:52:00 PM | Women's Tennis

PHILADELPHIA – Drexel women dropped a tough 4-3 match to Villanova while men's tennis earned a 5-2 win on Friday afternoon at Legacy Center.

The Dragons' women fall to 6-2 on the year, while the men's team now advances to 7-1 on the season.

"We had a tough loss today in the women's match, and it came down to the doubles point," head coach Mehdi Rhazali said. "You can't afford to make unforced errors against a team like Villanova because they will make you pay. I give Villanova a lot of credit, and I'm sure we will learn from this and bounce back."

"The men played well and handled the things we worked on this week in practice beautifully. It was nice to watch them turn things around. I think the Lehigh loss helped us grow and do better."

The men, after beating Villanova, 5-2, last season, knew that the doubles point would again be important, and the Dragons prevailed. Hamza Laalej and Balaji Lakshmanan teamed up to continue a solid new pairing, beating the Wildcats' top pair, 7-5. Although the Dragons fell at No. 3, Sinan Orhon and Kashyap Ashok brought home the point at No. 2 with a 6-3 victory.

In singles play, it was Laalej's play at No. 4 that sealed the deal in the dual. He fought his way to a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 three-set win over Thomas Dodson to clinch victory for the Dragons. Andrew Sinai, playing in the No. 2 slot, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4. Drexel was strong down the middle of singles play, also earning wins from Lakshmanan at No. 3, 6-3, 6-2, and Orhon at No. 5, 6-0, 6-3.

Drexel's women were also coming off of a 5-2 win against Villanova last season, but unlike the men, they could not come through in doubles play. The Dragons forced a tiebreak at No. 1 and a 7-5 match at No. 3, but would ultimately fall at all three positions.

In singles play, Honami Yazawa and Clary Rodriguez Cruz continued phenomenal seasons at the top of the ladder. Yazawa came away with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over Tori Smyth at No. 1, while Rodriguez Cruz cruised past Victoria Martinez, 6-2, 6-2, for her 10th win of the year. Ryshena Providence would close out her match at No. 6 over Ellie Zimmerman with ease, 6-2, 6-1. However, the Dragons could not get anything going in the middle of the lineup, dropping three-set matches at Nos. 3 and 5.

Drexel's men will return to the court for a mid-week matchup Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Monmouth. Both the men and the women will then host Colgate at RiverWinds on Saturday.

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Women: Villanova 4, Drexel 3
Singles
Honami Yazawa (DU) DEF Tori Smyth (VU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Clary Rodriguez Cruz (DU) DEF Victoria Martinez (VU), 6-2, 6-2
Samantha Schafer (VU) DEF Erin Bowsher (DU), 4-6, 6-3, 3-6
Lindsey Evans (VU) DEF Lea Winkler (DU), 6-3, 6-2
Paulina Bajet (VU) DEF Kendra Bunch (DU), 4-6, 6-3, 4-6
Ryshena Providence (DU) DEF Ellie Zimmerman (VU), 6-2, 6-1

Doubles
Smyth & Evans (VU) DEF Yazawa & Rodriguez Cruz (DU), 7-6 (5)
Martinez & King (VU) DEF Bunch & Winkler (DU), 6-4
Busby & Bajet (VU) DEF Bowsher & Providence (DU), 7-5

Men: Drexel 5, Villanova 2
Singles
Chris Seitz (VU) DEF Xabier Saavedra (DU), 7-6 (2), 6-3
Andrew Sinai (DU) DEF Bradley Noyes (VU), 6-3, 6-7, 6-4
Balaji Lakshmanan (DU) DEF Jimmy Purdy (VU), 6-3, 6-2
Hamza Laalej (DU) DEF Thomas Dodson (VU), 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
Sinan Orhon (DU) DEF Matt Phelps (VU), 6-0, 6-3
Alastair Hurry (VU) DEF Kashyap Ashok (DU), 3-6, 6-4, 6-5

Doubles
Laalej & Lakshmanan (DU) DEF Seitz & Noyes (VU), 7-5
Orhon & Ashok (DU) DEF Purdy & Dodson (VU), 6-3
Miranda & Elmore (VU) DEF Sinai & Subotic (DU), 6-1