Women’s Tennis made its comeback for the spring season as the Bison women returned from winter break training to take on Villanova on Saturday, Jan. 25. In a brave effort, they fell short and finished the day 1-4.
The Bison then turned around to play Delaware on Sunday and, after a hard day of play, ended 0-7 against the Blue Hens. These matches were the first of 18, all leading up to the coveted Patriot League Tournament in April.
“In our winter training, we definitely put an emphasis on consistency, fitness, teamwork and mental toughness,” shared Abby Platt ’26. “At this level of tennis, the difference between winning and losing can depend on mentality both as an individual and as a team.”
The Orange and Blue held strong on Saturday as Whitney King ’25 and Platt won in doubles, going 6-4. However, Villanova held strong to take two 6-4 doubles wins to clinch the doubles point. Platt also claimed victory in singles, taking the first set 6-0, then accepting the point after her opponent retired due to injury. Tori Allen ’27 fell short in singles against her opponent 3-6, 6-7. Natalie Devraj ’28, after losing the first set 4-6, came back to claim the second set 6-3 but ultimately left with an unfinished match. Teammate Riley Jennings ’28 faced a similar outcome but took the first set of her undecided game 6-2.
Despite what the score shows, Sunday was filled with some intense play for the Bison women. King and Platt once again won their doubles match against their Delaware opponents, 6-3.
“A personal highlight was getting redemption in my doubles matches. Last season, Whitney and I lost doubles to both Villanova and Delaware, but this time we beat them in both matches. Those wins really boosted our confidence as a doubles team and proved our potential,” Platt shared.
Unfortunately, King had to miss singles play due to injury, giving Delaware a forced point, and the Bison lost all of their singles matches in straight sets to the Blue Hens.
“The quality of tennis on all courts was impressive, especially considering it was our first weekend of the season,” Platt said. “Everyone brought high energy and intensity, setting a strong tone for what’s ahead. We walked away from these matches knowing that we will keep improving and come back even stronger next weekend.”
The Bison will continue their season this weekend at Hofstra and Howard in South Williamsport, PA.