University of Richmond Athletics
Women’s Tennis Announces 2024 Schedule
12/13/2023 | Women's Tennis
RICHMOND, Va. – Head Coach Jacob Dunbar and the University of Richmond Women's Tennis team announced the 2024 schedule for the program on Wednesday, highlighted by a road contest at Virginia to open the season and eight home matches at the Westhampton Tennis Complex.
"We are feeling extremely excited about this season," Dunbar said. "The team has had a very successful fall, with lots of growth and some strong results, so we are ready to see what this team can accomplish this spring. The team is a talented one, with a strong desire to be successful. When they step on the court as a team, as we plan to do in the spring, their best efforts come out and I think we are primed for a great season."
The Spiders begin their season with a tough roach match at Virginia on Jan. 18. Last season, UVA finished No. 12 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings and went to the NCAA Round of 16. Following the match at UVA, the team will travel to Georgetown on Jan. 21, before playing host to Navy on Jan. 27 for the 2024 home opener and welcoming Bucknell on Feb. 3.
Richmond will open the Atlantic 10 slate on Feb. 15, as the Spiders take on in-town rival VCU at the Thalhimer Tennis Center. The team will then welcome NCAA DII Chowan to the Westhampton Tennis Complex on Feb. 23, before the team's second A-10 test at George Mason on Mar. 2.
Over spring break, the team will play host to Drake on Mar. 11, travel down south to take on College of Charleston on Mar. 13 and will round out the week at Delaware on Mar. 17.
"Our spring break to Charleston will give us a great opportunity to get into some warmer weather and hone in on our outdoor tennis a bit as we prepare for the bulk of our A-10 matches," Dunbar said. "We only have one match during the core part of our trip down there, but this gives us a chance to take a small but intense training block before we hit the last leg of our season."
On Mar. 23, Davidson will make the trip up to Richmond while the Pirates of ECU will play on the Spider home courts on Mar. 29. Richmond will round out the month of March at Liberty, as the Spiders take on the Flames on Mar. 30.
The team will play host to Longwood in a midweek matchup on April 3, before beginning a five game road swing beginning with defending A-10 champion Fordham on April 5, Massachusetts on April 6, Rhode Island on April 7, Saint Joseph's on April 13 and finally George Washington on April 14 on the SJU campus. The Spiders will round out the 2024 regular season at home against William & Mary on April 20. The A-10 Championship is slated for April 27-30 in Orlando, Fla. at the USTA National Campus.
Dunbar welcomes back a plethora of core talent to the roster, including seniors, Andrea Campodonico, Carly Cohen, Claire Le Du, Leonor Oliveira and Polina Shitikova. In addition, sophomores Lara Bakhaya and Elizabeth Novak return to the roster for their second season.
Last season, the team finished 10-15 overall and had a 3-2 mark in A-10 play. Richmond ended the regular season on a four-game win streak as the momentum grew in the A-10 tournament where the Spiders defeated No. 13 Saint Joseph's. 4-0 to open the tournament enroute to a 4-1 win over No. 5 George Washington in the second round. The team narrowly fell to top seeded VCU, 4-3, in the semifinal match to end the 2023 season.
"It gives us a lot of confidence knowing how close we are as a team," Dunbar said about the team's experience. "Not finishing on top is always tough, but we took a deep look at what we needed to do better coming off the A-10 Championship last year and we made adjustments. With five seniors this year, it gives us tons of maturity and some great leadership, and we will rely on that as the season progresses."
Dunbar also welcomes two new faces, freshmen Lainey O'Neil and Lucy Webber. O'Neil, a Lake Forest, Ill. native, was a 4-Star Recruit out of high school, a two-time doubles state champion, an All-State Athlete and a Lake Forest High School Team Captain. Webber, a London, England native, amassed a career-high #571 ITF Junior World Ranking and was a Top-20 U18 tennis player in Great Britain.
"Lucy and Lainey have been awesome additions to our team," Dunbar said. "They are both talented and hardworking, the type of people we need here at Richmond. They had very successful falls with lots of wins between them. The team match setup is always a slight adjustment for players but if the fall is an indication, I expect them to adapt well into our championship season."
The full Women's Tennis schedule can be viewed on the WTEN Schedule Page, as times will be updated throughout the season.
"We are feeling extremely excited about this season," Dunbar said. "The team has had a very successful fall, with lots of growth and some strong results, so we are ready to see what this team can accomplish this spring. The team is a talented one, with a strong desire to be successful. When they step on the court as a team, as we plan to do in the spring, their best efforts come out and I think we are primed for a great season."
The Spiders begin their season with a tough roach match at Virginia on Jan. 18. Last season, UVA finished No. 12 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings and went to the NCAA Round of 16. Following the match at UVA, the team will travel to Georgetown on Jan. 21, before playing host to Navy on Jan. 27 for the 2024 home opener and welcoming Bucknell on Feb. 3.
Richmond will open the Atlantic 10 slate on Feb. 15, as the Spiders take on in-town rival VCU at the Thalhimer Tennis Center. The team will then welcome NCAA DII Chowan to the Westhampton Tennis Complex on Feb. 23, before the team's second A-10 test at George Mason on Mar. 2.
Over spring break, the team will play host to Drake on Mar. 11, travel down south to take on College of Charleston on Mar. 13 and will round out the week at Delaware on Mar. 17.
"Our spring break to Charleston will give us a great opportunity to get into some warmer weather and hone in on our outdoor tennis a bit as we prepare for the bulk of our A-10 matches," Dunbar said. "We only have one match during the core part of our trip down there, but this gives us a chance to take a small but intense training block before we hit the last leg of our season."
On Mar. 23, Davidson will make the trip up to Richmond while the Pirates of ECU will play on the Spider home courts on Mar. 29. Richmond will round out the month of March at Liberty, as the Spiders take on the Flames on Mar. 30.
The team will play host to Longwood in a midweek matchup on April 3, before beginning a five game road swing beginning with defending A-10 champion Fordham on April 5, Massachusetts on April 6, Rhode Island on April 7, Saint Joseph's on April 13 and finally George Washington on April 14 on the SJU campus. The Spiders will round out the 2024 regular season at home against William & Mary on April 20. The A-10 Championship is slated for April 27-30 in Orlando, Fla. at the USTA National Campus.
Dunbar welcomes back a plethora of core talent to the roster, including seniors, Andrea Campodonico, Carly Cohen, Claire Le Du, Leonor Oliveira and Polina Shitikova. In addition, sophomores Lara Bakhaya and Elizabeth Novak return to the roster for their second season.
Last season, the team finished 10-15 overall and had a 3-2 mark in A-10 play. Richmond ended the regular season on a four-game win streak as the momentum grew in the A-10 tournament where the Spiders defeated No. 13 Saint Joseph's. 4-0 to open the tournament enroute to a 4-1 win over No. 5 George Washington in the second round. The team narrowly fell to top seeded VCU, 4-3, in the semifinal match to end the 2023 season.
"It gives us a lot of confidence knowing how close we are as a team," Dunbar said about the team's experience. "Not finishing on top is always tough, but we took a deep look at what we needed to do better coming off the A-10 Championship last year and we made adjustments. With five seniors this year, it gives us tons of maturity and some great leadership, and we will rely on that as the season progresses."
Dunbar also welcomes two new faces, freshmen Lainey O'Neil and Lucy Webber. O'Neil, a Lake Forest, Ill. native, was a 4-Star Recruit out of high school, a two-time doubles state champion, an All-State Athlete and a Lake Forest High School Team Captain. Webber, a London, England native, amassed a career-high #571 ITF Junior World Ranking and was a Top-20 U18 tennis player in Great Britain.
"Lucy and Lainey have been awesome additions to our team," Dunbar said. "They are both talented and hardworking, the type of people we need here at Richmond. They had very successful falls with lots of wins between them. The team match setup is always a slight adjustment for players but if the fall is an indication, I expect them to adapt well into our championship season."
The full Women's Tennis schedule can be viewed on the WTEN Schedule Page, as times will be updated throughout the season.
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