St. John's University Athletics
Friday, March 19
South Orange, NJ
7:00 p.m.
St. John's University
at
Seton Hall
St. John’s Women’s Tennis Opens BIG EAST Play at Seton Hall
3/18/2021 3:05:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Red Storm looks to build off 3-0 start to 2021
New Providence, N.J. – The St. John's women's tennis team will look to continue its winning ways when it opens BIG EAST play on Friday night at 7 p.m. in New Providence, N.J. against Seton Hall.
The match will mark the first for the Red Storm (3-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) in 12 days, as it last faced off with Fairfield on March 7, resulting in a 6-1 victory. Friday's contest with the Pirates (0-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) will mark the first conference match for the Johnnies since last Valentine's Day when they fell to Villanova, 4-3.
Not only will Friday's match be the first of BIG EAST play, it will also mark the return of Jessica Livianu, one of the most decorated players in program history, to the court. Livianu, who came in at No. 59 in the 2021 Oracle ITA Division I preseason top 125 women's tennis rankings, will play in her first competitive match for the Red Storm since March 7 of last year. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native is a three-time BIG EAST Player of the Year and finished 2020 with 12 straight-set victories.
The Johnnies haven't missed a beat in Livianu's absence, as the team has taken 20 of 21 possible points from its opponents over the first three matches of the season. The doubles pairings of Najah Dawson and Oceane Garibal, Kajsa Stegrell and Emilie Haakansson as well as Camila Ordonez and Gabriela Tenorio have gone undefeated thus far. Head Coach Lauren Leo has used those three duos consistently, and they have been dominant, not allowing an opponent to score more than three points in a single contest.
One of the Johnnies stronger singles players this season has been Haakansson, who is off to a 3-0 start in a St. John's uniform. The transfer from Northern Arizona University has taken each of her three matches on the No. 2 court in straight sets while surrendering just nine points total against her in 2021.
Dawson has been strong on the No. 1 court this season, as she has not dropped a set yet this season. The junior from Queens, N.Y. is 10-4 in singles play dating back to last spring. Additionally, Garibal, the graduate student from France, has played well in the No. 3 slot, where she is also 10-4 going back to last season.
The team's last win in BIG EAST play came over this same Seton Hall team in the BIG EAST Tennis Championship Semifinals on April 20, 2019 down in Cayce, S.C. This season, the Pirates are 0-2, having dropped matches to Stony Brook, 6-1, and Drexel, 4-3.
Following Friday night's match, the Red Storm will close out the month of March with two more BIG EAST contests, as it heads to Villanova on March 26 before welcoming Connecticut to USTA National Tennis Center on March 28.
The match will mark the first for the Red Storm (3-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) in 12 days, as it last faced off with Fairfield on March 7, resulting in a 6-1 victory. Friday's contest with the Pirates (0-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) will mark the first conference match for the Johnnies since last Valentine's Day when they fell to Villanova, 4-3.
Not only will Friday's match be the first of BIG EAST play, it will also mark the return of Jessica Livianu, one of the most decorated players in program history, to the court. Livianu, who came in at No. 59 in the 2021 Oracle ITA Division I preseason top 125 women's tennis rankings, will play in her first competitive match for the Red Storm since March 7 of last year. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native is a three-time BIG EAST Player of the Year and finished 2020 with 12 straight-set victories.
The Johnnies haven't missed a beat in Livianu's absence, as the team has taken 20 of 21 possible points from its opponents over the first three matches of the season. The doubles pairings of Najah Dawson and Oceane Garibal, Kajsa Stegrell and Emilie Haakansson as well as Camila Ordonez and Gabriela Tenorio have gone undefeated thus far. Head Coach Lauren Leo has used those three duos consistently, and they have been dominant, not allowing an opponent to score more than three points in a single contest.
One of the Johnnies stronger singles players this season has been Haakansson, who is off to a 3-0 start in a St. John's uniform. The transfer from Northern Arizona University has taken each of her three matches on the No. 2 court in straight sets while surrendering just nine points total against her in 2021.
Dawson has been strong on the No. 1 court this season, as she has not dropped a set yet this season. The junior from Queens, N.Y. is 10-4 in singles play dating back to last spring. Additionally, Garibal, the graduate student from France, has played well in the No. 3 slot, where she is also 10-4 going back to last season.
The team's last win in BIG EAST play came over this same Seton Hall team in the BIG EAST Tennis Championship Semifinals on April 20, 2019 down in Cayce, S.C. This season, the Pirates are 0-2, having dropped matches to Stony Brook, 6-1, and Drexel, 4-3.
Following Friday night's match, the Red Storm will close out the month of March with two more BIG EAST contests, as it heads to Villanova on March 26 before welcoming Connecticut to USTA National Tennis Center on March 28.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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