WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson women's tennis team enters its 2025 season with a young returning core that looks primed to make another run at the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship this fall.
Head Coach
Matt Lynch spoke on his goals going into his second season with the women's tennis team: ""The main goal is to win the conference. Each year I gain experience in this conference, and I gain players that will help us eventually reach that goal. Other than that, I just want to create a team atmosphere that shows we are a close unified team that is motivated to win."
2024-25 Season Review: W&J finished with an improved 7-8 overall record and a 4-4 record in conference play last fall. This past season was the first year that collegiate scoring moved to seven total team points.
The Presidents opened the month of September with two victories over Penn State Altoona (6-1) and Baldwin Wallace (6-1). Weeks later, the Presidents grabbed two more victories in consecutive matches against Franciscan (5-2) and Thiel (7-0).
Closing out the brief regular season schedule of October, the team finished the month with a 2-2 record. Their first win of the month came against Division II West Liberty, which marked the first time the W&J women's tennis program defeated the Hilltoppers.
W&J closed out the regular season slate with a victory over Waynesburg (7-0) to secure the No. 5 seed in the PAC Tournament. That continued W&J's seven-year streak of making the conference tournament since changing to the six-team tournament format in 2018.
"2024 was a great year. I took over an inherited team and was able to really get them motivated," stated Lynch. "We had some great wins and some tough losses. Falling just short of making the PAC tournament semifinals was tough but that is a big goal this year."
The Presidents postseason run came to a halt as the team was bested by the No. 4 seeded Westminster Titans in the opening round of the PAC Tournament for the third-straight season.
Nidhi Pulicherla (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) collected All-PAC First Team honors for the fourth-straight season.
"Nidhi was an incredible player, and she is a huge loss for our team," replied Lynch. "I had a high level of confidence that she would give us a win at No. 1 singles each match. The good news is, I feel we have the depth this year to compensate for not having Nidhi in the lineup."
| 2025 PAC Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish) |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2024-25 record (conference) |
| 1. Allegheny College (8) |
64 |
18-8 (8-0 PAC) |
| 2. Grove City College (1) |
55 |
11-5 (7-1 PAC) |
| 3. Franciscan University |
48 |
10-11 (4-4 PAC) |
| 4. Washington & Jefferson College |
39 |
7-8 (4-4 PAC) |
| 5. Saint Vincent College |
37 |
18-4 (5-3 PAC) |
| 6. Westminster College |
31 |
8-4 (5-3 PAC) |
| 7. Geneva College |
26 |
8-7 (2-6 PAC) |
| 8. Waynesburg University |
13 |
2-12 (0-8 PAC) |
| 9. Thiel College |
11 |
2-12 (1-7 PAC) |
Team Captains: Claire Loomis (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) and
Isabella Naddeo (Canonsburg, Pa./Trinity)
"Claire and Bella are my captains this year. Both are extremely reliable and conduct themselves in a very professional manner on and off the court," stated Lynch. "They are true leaders, and they are the perfect duo to help lead a team of young freshman. I know I can always count on them."
Returners: Eden Ma (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair),
Isabella Naddeo (Canonsburg, Pa./Trinity),
Kesioluwa Ogundipe (Uniondale, N.Y./Uniondale),
Lauren Tekely (Glendale, W.Va./John Marshall),
McKenzie Gensemer (West Lawn, Pa./Wilson),
Claire Loomis (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair),
Liz Ross (Washington, Pa./Trinity),
Paisley Cole (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna),
Mackenzie Gumto (Renfrew, Pa./Knoch) and
Amber Platt (Derry, Pa./Derry Area).
Loomis returns as one of the top contributors from a season ago. Loomis played most of the past fall at No. 2 singles, posting a 10-2 singles record. In doubles, she played the season at No. 1 doubles with former teammate Pulicherla and combined for a season record of 7-4. Loomis was also named to the All-PAC First Team for doubles and an All-PAC Honorable Mention for singles.
"Claire is a player I have known for a number of years long before our time at W&J together. She has a high chance of competing at the top singles and doubles spot for us this year," stated Lynch. "When you are at the top of the lineup, every match you play is a battle. You must be as mentally strong as you are physically to make it through the season. I have seen her develop mentally as a player each year I have known her. So, I am looking forward to another year where I can see that aspect of her game develops."
A pair of sophomores also return to the lineup this fall after productive first seasons with W&J in
Paisley Cole (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna) and
Mackenzie Gumto (Renfrew, Pa./Knoch).
Cole competed most of her freshman season at No. 4 singles, compiling an 8-4 overall singles record. In doubles, she worked an even split between No. 2 and 3 doubles with a season record of 7-5.
Gumto played a majority of her first season as a President at No. 6 singles with a 5-7 overall record in 2024-25. She played No. 2 doubles all of last season with a 3-6 record.
"All three of them gave me their all last year," said Lynch. "That is all I expect of them this year as well."
Newcomers: The W&J women's tennis team welcomes seven newcomers into the fold for the 2025 season.
"I have an excellent group of newcomers this year. With one week of pre-season down, they have already shown me that they know how to work hard," stated Lynch. "They are self-motivated and they push themselves and each other in practice. They are off to a great start."
Looking at the Schedule: The Presidents are slated to open the season at Pitt-Greensburg on Friday (Sept. 5).
Prior to the opening of conference play, W&J will square off with Division II Seton Hill for their home opener at the Janet Swanson Tennis Center.
W&J starts conference play with a home matchup against Saint Vincent (Sept. 12) followed by a home match with Mount Union (Sept. 15).
W&J will then finish the month of September with four conference opponents including away matches with Franciscan (Sept. 17) and Geneva (Sept. 26) along with home matches with Thiel (Sept. 19) and Westminster (Sept. 24).
W&J will close out the 2025 regular season with a trips Grove City (Oct. 4) and Waynesburg (Oct. 10) as well as home matches against Allegheny (Oct. 8) and Baldwin Wallace (Oct. 11).
The top six teams will qualify for the 2025 PAC Championship Tournament, which will take place following the conclusion of the regular season. W&J will look to add onto their conference tournament appearance streak this fall for the eight-consecutive season.
Last Word from Lynch: "Go Presidents!"
