Fordham University Women’s Tennis has found itself subjected to a cruel schedule in recent years — in 2024 and 2025 to date, only eight of the Rams’ 37 regular season matches have been at home. They’ve won all eight.
In fact, they’ve won them by a combined score of 37-6.
At this point, after trekking the sidewalk past the McShane Campus Center towards the vaguely maroon clay of the Rams’ native Hawthorn/Rooney Courts, opponents are surely aware that the odds are stacked against them.
For some foes, like an Illinois State University team that was swept by Fordham back in February, coaches ought to begin wondering whether it’s economical to continue scheduling road trips to Rose Hill. A cost-benefit analysis would surely indicate that it is not worth the travel expenses — nor the emotional turmoil — of going all the way to the Bronx to be crushed by coach Michael Sowter’s squad.
The Rams’ most recent rival, the St. John’s University Red Storm, didn’t need to travel far in arriving for the clubs’ matchup last Saturday, March 29.
Still, they likely left wishing they hadn’t come.
The match kicked off in Ram-friendly fashion at second doubles, where sophomore Lily Chitambar and senior Lorraine Bergmann cruised to a 6-2 final.
Simultaneously, the Red Storm had their hands full at first doubles, where their top pairing had to face off against Fordham’s elite tandem of sophomore Julianne Nguyen and junior Nevena Kolarevic. The two Rams took home the inaugural Atlantic 10 Masters Tournament crown this fall, and have compiled a winning record at the primary spot during the spring season. Kolarevic, fresh off three straight singles wins in last week’s matches, was awarded her second A-10 Player of the Week nod of the season.
Despite all this, the Red Storm’s top two players, senior Alicia Gómez and sophomore Noemi Babikova, were able to outlast the Rams’ two stars, 6-4. It was the only game St. John’s would win.
In a third doubles bridge match, Fordham stormed back on the Red Storm to secure the point, with freshmen Paola Ueno Dalmonico and Catalina Padilla Udaeta fighting from behind to secure a marathon victory, 7-6 (7-4). The Rams’ two youngest players seem unphased by the big moment, here delivering a tie-breaking win with the entire men’s tennis team and school mascot Ramses onlooking. The underclassmen have gelled well since being paired in early March; since then, they’ve played together in every match — they’re a whopping 7-1 in that span.
As the afternoon waned during singles, things got a bit messy. Five of the seven duels went unfinished, including one retirement on the part of the Red Storm, which made it 2-0 Rams. Fordham brought the final to 4-0 behind the strong play of Bergmann and Padilla Udaeta at the third and sixth spots, respectively. Each student-athlete won in straight sets — Bergmann by a score of 7-5, 6-2, and Padilla Udaeta by a 6-3, 7-5 final. Padilla Udaeta, native of Bolivia, has had a scorching 7-3 start to her collegiate singles career, playing at the third, fifth and sixth spots. With wins at doubles and singles this weekend, expect the blossoming star to be in contention for her second A-10 Rookie of the Week honor.
Though the Red Storm played better than any adversary the Rams have hosted all year, their fate was no different than the rest. The Red Storm saw their record drop to 11-5, while Fordham advanced to 11-4; it is the most impressive win of Fordham’s already-stellar season, and one that keeps their perfect streak at home alive.
In a welcomed change of pace, the Rams will get to stay in the Bronx for three of their final five matches. That will bring them to seven total tilts on their home court this year, which still represents a measly 35% of their total schedule. Amazingly, that’s the highest such figure since the team played nine home matches in 2019.
All this talk of home needs to be put in the rearview if for just a moment — the Rams will have to hop on a bus for their next match, an April 5 bout with the University of Rhode Island.
This edition of the Battle of the Rams is likely not their last, though it’s the only one currently penciled into their schedules; at 14-2, Rhode Island is the only team in the A-10 with a record better than Fordham. Should both teams stay hot, a late April rematch is likely.
With just three weeks remaining until the A-10 Tournament in Orlando, Florida, the Rams are peaking at the right time. Should they sustain that peak — and find a way to bring some home cooking on the plane ride south — they may be in for another championship run.
