St. John’s Women’s Tennis Opens BIG EAST Play with a Win

Friday, March 19

South Orange, NJ

7:00 p.m.

St. John's University

Seton Hall

St. John’s Women’s Tennis Opens BIG EAST Play with a Win

3/20/2021 10:29:00 AM | Women's Tennis

Red Storm drops Seton Hall, 6-1, to improve to 4-0

By: Kenny Conrade

New Providence, N.J. (March 19, 2021) – The St. John's women's tennis team defeated Seton Hall, 6-1, on Friday night in New Providence, N.J. to pick up its first BIG EAST win of 2021 and improve to 4-0 on the season.

The match marked the return of three-time BIG EAST Player of the Year Jessica Livianu to the court, as she won the match in her familiar No. 1 slot. Livianu has not fallen in a dual match dating back to the 2019 season, as she went a perfect 13-0 during her senior campaign in 2020.

The match fell underway with doubles play, as Oceane Garibal and Najah Dawson took down their opponents, Arina Gumerova and Minja Gligic, 6-2. On the No. 2 doubles court, Emilie Haakansson and Kajsa Stegrell dropped their opponents Aina Plana Ventosa and Hiba El Khalifi, 6-2. Finally on the No. 3 court, it was Camila Ordonez and Gabriela Tenorio playing a match with Emily O'Donovan and Oliwia Kempinski that went to a tiebreaker, but the Johnnies duo came out on top, 7-6. The Red Storm's doubles pairings are now a perfect 12-0 on the season.

Next up was singles play, where Livianu grabbed her first win of the season, dropping Gumerova, 6-4 and 7-6, in straight sets. With Livianu back in the lineup, Dawson went from the No. 1 court to the No. 2 slot for the Johnnies, but the result remained the same, as she defeated Gilgic in straight sets for her fourth victory of the season.

On the No. 3 court, Haakansson defeated Plana Ventosa, 6-3 and 6-4, to also pick up her fourth win in as many tries. The transfer from Northern Arizona University has been dominant for the Johnnies, winning all four of her singles bouts in straight sets this season.

On the No. 4 court, Garibal fell to El Khalifi in a split-set tiebreaker, 11-9, marking the only lost team point on the night for the Red Storm and just their second lost point of the season. Stegrell got the nod on the No. 5 court and took down O'Donovan in straight sets to pick up the fourth win of her season in singles.

Finally, on the No. 6 court, Willa Bay Breunich competed for the first time since the team's opening match against Sacred Heart and took the match in straight sets to notch her second victory of the season.

Next up for the Johnnies are two more conference matches to close out the month of March, as they will take on Villanova on the road next Friday followed by a home matchup on Sunday with Connecticut in their first showdown since the Huskies return to the BIG EAST.