The Patriot League announced the official schedule for the 2023 Patriot League Women’s Tennis Championship, with the Navy women’s tennis team earning the No. 2 seed in the tournament. The championship will take place from Thursday, April 27 to Sunday, April 30 at Army’s Malek Tennis Center in West Point, N.Y., with the Lichtenberg Tennis Center serving as the alternate venue in case of inclement weather.
The tournament will begin on Thursday afternoon with a first-round match at 1 p.m. between No. 8 Lafayette and No. 9 Holy Cross. The quarterfinals will follow on Friday, April 28, starting at 8:30 a.m. with No. 1 Boston University playing the winner of the Lafayette/Holy Cross match. No. 4 Bucknell will then face No. 5 Colgate at 10:15 a.m., followed by No. 3 Army versus No. 6 Lehigh at 12:45 p.m. The day will conclude with the No. 2 Navy taking on No. 7 Loyola Maryland at 3:15 p.m.
The semifinal matches will be held on Saturday, April 29, with the first match at 10 a.m. and the second match at 2 p.m. The championship match will be held on Sunday, April 30 at 1 p.m.
The Navy women’s tennis team, led by head coach Chris Garner, enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed with a 15-3 overall record and a 5-1 record in Patriot League play. The team’s only conference loss came against No. 1 seed Boston University.
“We’re excited to have earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament and are looking forward to competing for a Patriot League championship,” said Garner. “Our team has worked hard all season and we’re ready to give it our all in the tournament.”
The team is led by senior captain Ansofi Wreder, who has a 14-2 record in singles play this season and was named to the All-Patriot League First Team for the third consecutive year. Junior Martina Vilela has also been a key player for the Navy squad, posting a 13-3 record in singles play and earning All-Patriot League Second Team honors.
The Navy women’s tennis team has a strong tradition of success in the Patriot League, having won the tournament six times since joining the conference in 1992. The team’s most recent championship came in 2019, when they defeated Army in the championship match.
The Patriot League Women’s Tennis Championship is one of the most competitive tournaments in collegiate tennis, with top teams from across the conference vying for the championship title. The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the national tournament.
Fans can follow the action of the 2023 Patriot League Women’s Tennis Championship through live streaming on the Patriot League Network, which will provide coverage of all matches throughout the tournament.