WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson Women's Tennis team looks to head into the new season with a revitalized outlook after finishing fifth in the conference this past season. The Presidents will look to make a deeper push in the Presidents' Athletic Conference under head coach
Matt Lynch.
Lynch was brought on in the spring of 2024, but will look to complete his first season of women's tennis at W&J this fall.
Lynch talks about his time joining the Presidents in the spring:
"When I was named Head Coach in February my main focus was on the men's upcoming season. However, the interactions that I did have in the spring with the women's team were all positive," stated head coach
Matt Lynch. "Both teams seemed like they needed a big boost of motivation when I first started and everyone has worked hard to up their level physically and mentally."
2023-24 Season Review: The Presidents finished with an improved 5-7 overall record and put together a 4-4 record in PAC play last fall.
The Presidents started the season out with an eye-popping win over Division II California University of Pennsylvania (Cal U) by a score of 4-3. The doubles pairing of
Nidhi Pulicherla (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) and Riley Moore (Logan, W.Va. Logan) led the charge with a shutout victory over Cal U at No. 1 doubles.
W&J bounced back from a 0-9 loss against Pitt-Greensburg by shutting out Thiel, 9-0. Proceeding another loss coming by the hands of Westminster, the Presidents logged another bounce-back victory against Geneva, 7-2.
The Presidents entered into a two-game road win streak after dropping a matchup to Franciscan, 7-2. The streak started with a narrow victory against Saint Vincent, 5-4, and was capped by a sweep of Waynesburg. Prior to the PAC Tournament, W&J dropped two 8-1 losses to soon-to-be 2023 champions Grove City and Allegheny.
Entering the PAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed, W&J had to square off with No. 4 seed Westminster where the Titans took a swift 5-0 victory over the Presidents.
Pulicherla collected All-PAC First Team honors, gathering All-PAC honors for the third-straight season. Moore was tabbed with an All-PAC Second Team selection along with
Lisha Chadda who picked up All-PAC Honorable Mention status.
"As I gain experience here at W&J my goals and expectations are growing. The ultimate goal being to win a conference championship soon," said Lynch. "I am just continuing to evaluate what needs done in order to accomplish that. I have not completed a whole season yet with both teams so I am looking forward to the start of the women's season."
W&J PAC Player To Watch:
Name Yr. Hometown/High School
Mackenzie Gumto Fr. Renfrew, Pa./Knoch
Emma Humphrey Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills
Jaelyn Kennedy Sr. Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove
Claire Loomis So. Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St Clair
Nidhi Pulicherla Sr. Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton
2024 PAC Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish)
School (first-place votes) Points 2023-24 record (conference)
1. Allegheny College (6) 62 11-11 (8-0 PAC)
2. Grove City College (2) 56 14-6 (7-1 PAC)
3. Franciscan University (1) 52 10-11 (6-2 PAC)
4. Westminster College 39 11-9 (5-3 PAC)
5. Washington & Jefferson College 31 5-7 (4-4 PAC)
6. Saint Vincent College 28 12-6 (3-5 PAC)
7. Geneva College 26 7-8 (2-6 PAC)
8. Waynesburg University 18 1-12 (0-8 PAC)
9. Thiel College 12 2-11 (1-7 PAC)
Team Captains: Emma Humphrey,
Jaelyn Kennedy,
Bailey Phillips,
Nidhi Pulicherla
"We have two returning captains that are both seniors and they provide the team with a great example of how to act/train on court. We have a large team this year so I selected two more senior captains that have done an excellent job so far at being leaders on court but also off court. These four senior captains are all playing a critical role with the team this year."
Returners: Emma Humphrey (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills),
Jaelyn Kennedy (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove),
Eden Ma (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair),
Isabella Naddeo (Canonsburg, Pa./Trinity),
Kesioluwa Ogundipe (Uniondale, N.Y./Uniondale),
Bailey Phillips (Washington, Pa./McGuffey),
Pooja Potluri (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo),
Gloria Johnson (Stafford, Va./Brooke Point),
Lauren Tekely (Glendale, W.Va./John Marshall),
McKenzie Gensemer (West Lawn, Pa./Wilson),
Liz Ross (Washington, Pa./Trinity) and
Nidhi Pulicherla.
Pulicherla continued her top tier W&J career last year earning first All-PAC First Team nod and third-straight season being honored on a team. Pulicherla had a singles record of (4-7) and was at the No. 1 singles spot on W&J's lineup. Pulicherla also led the Presidents doubles teams with former teammate, Riley Moore, with an overall record of 6-5 and a conference record of 5-3.
"I want Nidhi to have the best year she has ever had here," replied Lynch. "She is a prime example of how I want my players to be on and off the court. She will make a huge impact as she always has in the past."
Kennedy matched the top returning singles record with an overall of 4-7, 4-4 in conference throughout the lineup. Kennedy also posted a 2-5 doubles record with teammate
Emma Humphrey.
Ma posted her best singles record to date with a 4-4 overall mark, 3-2 in conference scattered around the singles ranks.
Newcomers: The W&J women's tennis team welcomes five newcomers into the fold.
"This turned out to be a great recruiting year, level-wise, considering the short amount of time I had to recruit," said Lynch. "I have two or three newcomers off the top of my head that will make a huge impact in the lineup. My expectations for them are set just as high as they are for my returners."
Caylin Angel Jr. Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park
Paisley Cole Fr. Smyrna, Del./Smyrna High School
Mackenzie Gumto Fr. Renfrew, Pa./Knoch High School
Amber Platt Fr. Derry, Pa./Derry Area Senior High School
Looking at the Schedule: The Red and Black are slated to open the season at the Allegheny Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 31.
Prior to the opening of conference play, W&J will square off with Baldwin Wallace in Berea, Ohio.
W&J starts Presidents' Athletic Conference play with a road matchup against Saint Vincent, Sept. 15. W&J then hosts their home opener against Franciscan on Sept. 17 entering a two-game road trip.
The road sequence begins with a trip to Thiel (Sept. 20) followed by a stop in New Wilmington, PA. to take on Westminster (Sept. 23). The President then return to a two-game home stand against Geneva (Sept. 26) and defending conference champions Grove City (Sept. 28).
W&J will close out the 2024 regular season with a trip to Allegheny (Oct. 6) and will cap of the slate, hosting Waynesburg (Oct. 12).
The top six teams will qualify for the 2024 PAC Championship Tournament, which will take place following the conclusion of the regular season.
Last Word from Lynch: "I have a very positive outlook and I can tell that a winning mindset is starting to be developed with this team," stated Lynch. "They seem intense and focused as we practice. We also have a very competitive lineup this year, so I am really looking forward to seeing them in action."
