The road to the Atlantic 10 (A-10) Championships in Orlando, Florida, is never easy. That’s been especially true for Fordham Women’s Tennis, now 3-8, traversing its most difficult non-conference schedule in recent memory.
Five of the team’s eight losses have come against the current top 75 teams in the nation. While 8-2 New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) isn’t among them, the Rams still had their hands full in a 4-3 loss to the Highlanders on Sunday morning.
NJIT entered the match having won two games in a row and beating two A-10 teams — the University of Rhode Island and Saint Joseph’s University, each recipients of a first-place vote in the A-10’s preseason poll — in commanding fashion earlier in the season.
Fordham gave its New Jersey neighbors a better fight than its fellow conference members, but a trio of tight finishes swayed the match in the Highlanders’ favor.
At #1 doubles, senior Nevena Kolarevic and junior Julianne Nguyen couldn’t scrape by the No. 10-ranked doubles tandem in the northeast, NJIT senior tandem Laura Wipfli and Irene Cocero.
The 6-ranked Fordham pairing fell, 6-4, after rallying back from a 5-2 deficit. Kolarevic and Nguyen are now 3-4 on the season, with a pair of losses to duos ranked top 20 in the nation earlier in the year.
At #2, freshman Valerijia Kargina and junior Lily Chitambar played from behind early, rallying to take a 5-4 lead, before falling 7-6 in a heartbreaker.
A different decision in either match would’ve flipped the doubles point to Fordham, with sophomores Paola Dalmonico and Catalina Padilla taking a 6-2 victory at #3 — the duo moved to 18-4 all-time with the win.
Meanwhile, in singles, Kolarevic lost a three-set thriller at #1 to Wipfli, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7. Despite the razor-thin margin, Kolarevic played from behind for virtually the entire match, never leading in sets one and three. In the third, Kolarevic went down 3-0 before pushing the match to 6-6 only to ultimately fall.
Dropping points at #2 and #3, Fordham showcased its depth — which is projected to be among its biggest strengths in A-10 play — to win at #4, #5 and #6.
Kargina breezed to a 6-2, 6-0 win at #4, while Chitambar fought for a 5-7, 6-2, 1-0 decision at #5. In the final slot, Nguyen earned a 6-4, 6-1 win, her second of the spring slate.
Despite the underwhelming win-loss record, the Rams appear battle-tested and ready to enter an A-10 field that pales in comparison to Fordham’s non-conference schedule.
The Rams have one more week of non-conference matches — each in West Point, New York — before the real season begins. Fordham takes on Hofstra University on Friday at 1 p.m., and stays to play Army at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
