For a large portion of the past three months, Fordham’s Hawthorn/Rooney Courts in the the northwestern corner of the Rose Hill campus have been covered in a foot-tall mound of snow. As the weather warms, so has Fordham Women’s Tennis, which finally got to grace their native courts Sunday afternoon.
The outdoor home opener made for an exclamatory win, with the Rams reaffirming their status as one of the Atlantic 10 (A-10)’s best in a 4-0 thrashing of St. Joseph’s University.
The win over the 1-12 Hawks — who ranked third-to-last in the A-10’s preseason poll but received a first-place vote — moves Fordham to 8-9 (3-0 A-10), and extends their season-long winning streak to four.
Helping to lead the way were the Rams’ first two A-10 weekly award winners of the year, freshman Valerijia Kargina and sophomore Paola Dalmonico. Kargina took home Rookie of the Week laurels during the team’s 3-0 week in South Carolina, while Dalmonico took home Performer of the Week honors.
Each contributed to a win in doubles, where Kargina and junior Lily Chitambar took the No. 2 contest, 6-1, and Dalmonico won at No. 3, also 6-1, with sophomore Catalina Padilla.
In singles, the reigning A-10 Performer of the Year senior Nevena Kolarevic continued to get some rest, with her teammates carrying the group to a 4-0 finish.
Padilla slotted up to the No. 2 spot for the first time in her career, earning a 6-2, 6-1 win, her fourth in a row at singles.
At No. 3, junior Julianne Nguyen became the third Ram in as many weeks to notch a double bagel, going 6-0 to nab what was also her fourth straight solo win.
Junior Aya Matsunaga got in the mix to finish the match off, taking home a 6-2, 6-0 win, making her 4-0 on the campaign when playing at No. 5.
Amid the winning streak, Fordham’s command of each match is almost understated by the final score. The Maroon have won by a combined 19-0 score, yes, but their combined 46-1 record across all sets is even more eye-catching.
Against the Hawks, Fordham won 81 of the 101 total games played, allowing a St. Joseph’s opponent to reach three games in just one of 15 sets, including those that went unfinished.
Historically, it’s perfect timing — fifth-year head coach Mike Sowter’s teams tend to hit full stride in late March, with the Rams now rattling off late-season win streaks of four or more in three straight seasons. The Sowter-era Rams seem to have mastered the art of peaking at the right moment.
Fordham will stay home for each of their final five matches, including their final two of the A-10 season against Davidson College and the University of Rhode Island, both top-five teams in the league.
First, the Rams will host the 1-6 Long Island University this Saturday at 1 p.m., with a chance to take down the Sharks for a fourth straight year.
