St. John's University Athletics
Women’s Tennis Notches Fourth Seed in 2023 BIG EAST Championships
4/17/2023 4:20:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Red Storm will open the Quarterfinals at 12:45 p.m. on Friday against fifth-seeded Georgetown
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's women's tennis team was named the fourth seed in the BIG EAST Tennis Championships presented by Jeep.
The Cayce Fitness and Tennis Center will host the BIG EAST Tennis Championships for the seventh consecutive year, and it will be run from April 20-23.
With eleven women's tennis programs in the event, the Red Storm have received a first-round bye and will open in the quarterfinals against fifth-seeded Georgetown at 12:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
Seeds for the championships were determined by a committee that reviews each team's regular-season schedule, ITA rankings, results against BIG EAST and common non-conference opponents and wins/losses against ranked foes.
Head Coach Lauren Leo's squad touts a 12-8 overall record and 5-2 BIG EAST record entering the tournament. Earlier in the season Leo won her 100th match at the helm for the Johnnies and ranks second all time in program history with 105 total wins.
The Red Storm have boasted both a four and five match win streak this season. The Johnnies excelled in the friendly confines of Queens with a perfect 9-0 record, marking the third consecutive season with an undefeated home record. St. John's has won 27 consecutive home matches dating back to February 14, 2020.
Yesica de Lucas has led the Red Storm combining for 29 total wins across singles and doubles play. Lalita Devarakonda has manned the top singles slot having played all but one of her matches in the first court. Devarakonda is 10-6 in the spot, with only two other players have a combined three decisions from that court. Mouna Bouzgarrou is the third Johnnie to total at least 10 wins in singles play. Bouzgarrou is 12-5 with an 11-2 record in the third court. The Monastir, Tunisia native is the only Johnnie unbeaten in conference play, 6-0.
Jayden Nielsen and de Lucas have consistently played in top court this season entering the postseason, 8-4 with six wins in the first court. The duo of Emilie Haakansson and Bouzgarrou have accrued 10 wins this season, the most by any Red Storm tandem. Bouzgarrou in total has combined for a team-best 14 doubles wins with Haakansson and de Lucas tying for the second most at 12.
St. John's has reached at least the semifinals in every year of the current format established in 2014. The Red Storm have reached the championship match three times in the current format, winning the crown for the first time in program history in 2018. Last year the Johnnies earned the top seed and fell in the semifinals to fourth-seeded DePaul.
In the current format, this is the fourth time that St. John's has received the fourth seed. In each of the previous three tournaments the Johnnies reached the semifinals (2021, 2019, 2014).
For more information on the 2023 BIG EAST Tennis Championships, please visit the conference's website.
The Cayce Fitness and Tennis Center will host the BIG EAST Tennis Championships for the seventh consecutive year, and it will be run from April 20-23.
With eleven women's tennis programs in the event, the Red Storm have received a first-round bye and will open in the quarterfinals against fifth-seeded Georgetown at 12:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
Seeds for the championships were determined by a committee that reviews each team's regular-season schedule, ITA rankings, results against BIG EAST and common non-conference opponents and wins/losses against ranked foes.
Head Coach Lauren Leo's squad touts a 12-8 overall record and 5-2 BIG EAST record entering the tournament. Earlier in the season Leo won her 100th match at the helm for the Johnnies and ranks second all time in program history with 105 total wins.
The Red Storm have boasted both a four and five match win streak this season. The Johnnies excelled in the friendly confines of Queens with a perfect 9-0 record, marking the third consecutive season with an undefeated home record. St. John's has won 27 consecutive home matches dating back to February 14, 2020.
Yesica de Lucas has led the Red Storm combining for 29 total wins across singles and doubles play. Lalita Devarakonda has manned the top singles slot having played all but one of her matches in the first court. Devarakonda is 10-6 in the spot, with only two other players have a combined three decisions from that court. Mouna Bouzgarrou is the third Johnnie to total at least 10 wins in singles play. Bouzgarrou is 12-5 with an 11-2 record in the third court. The Monastir, Tunisia native is the only Johnnie unbeaten in conference play, 6-0.
Jayden Nielsen and de Lucas have consistently played in top court this season entering the postseason, 8-4 with six wins in the first court. The duo of Emilie Haakansson and Bouzgarrou have accrued 10 wins this season, the most by any Red Storm tandem. Bouzgarrou in total has combined for a team-best 14 doubles wins with Haakansson and de Lucas tying for the second most at 12.
St. John's has reached at least the semifinals in every year of the current format established in 2014. The Red Storm have reached the championship match three times in the current format, winning the crown for the first time in program history in 2018. Last year the Johnnies earned the top seed and fell in the semifinals to fourth-seeded DePaul.
In the current format, this is the fourth time that St. John's has received the fourth seed. In each of the previous three tournaments the Johnnies reached the semifinals (2021, 2019, 2014).
For more information on the 2023 BIG EAST Tennis Championships, please visit the conference's website.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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