Women's Tennis Opens BIG EAST Championship Against No. 9 Seed Seton Hall

Friday, April 17

Cayce, S.C.

1:00 PM

Xavier University

Seton Hall

Women's Tennis Opens BIG EAST Championship Against No. 9 Seed Seton Hall

04.16.26 | Women's Tennis

Live Stats Tournament Central

Musketeers face the Pirates at 1 PM on Friday in Cayce, S.C.

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's tennis opens up play in 2026 BIG EAST Championship on Friday, April 17 at 1:00 p.m., taking on No. 9 seed Seton Hall in the Quarterfinals in Cayce, S.C. The Pirates topped No. 8 seed Marquette in the First Round to advance to the Quarterfinals.

The Musketeers earned No. 1 seed to in the tournament bracket, picking up a bye to the Quarterfinals. This marks the fifth time since joining the BIG EAST that the Musketeers, the five-time defending conference champions, have earned the top seed for the league tournament.

The Musketeers are 13-8 on the season with a 4-0 in BIG EAST matches, taking wins over Creighton, Marquette, DePaul and Butler, and enter the post season on a six-match winning streak.

Xavier is looking for its sixth-straight, and seventh overall, BIG EAST title, winning the league's championship and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship in each of the last five seasons (2021-25) as well as in 2016.

THE BRACKET

TOURNAMENT INFO

The 2026 BIG EAST Tennis Championships Presented by JEEP returns to the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center in Cayce, S.C., from April 16-19, with Monday, April 20, serving as a potential rain date if necessary.
Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center will host the championship for the tenth consecutive year. The facility offers 30 lighted world-class courts with a championship-sized stadium court that has a viewing capacity of approximately 500 spectators. There are seven dedicated 38' courts for 8 & Under Tennis. Courts are complete with a small central gazebo, iced water coolers and electrical outlets on every court for ball-machine use.
Seeds for the championships were determined by a committee that reviewed each team's regular-season schedule, ITA rankings, results against BIG EAST and common non-conference opponents and wins/losses against ranked foes.
There is no charge for admission. Merchandise will be available for purchase through Shop.BIGEAST.com.

Program
Available HERE

Live Results
Men: https://ioncourt.com/leagues/2026-big-east-men's-tennis-championship
Women: https://ioncourt.com/leagues/2026-big-east-women's-tennis-championship

Women's Seeding
1 – Xavier
2 – DePaul
3 – St. John's
4 – Georgetown
5 – UConn
6 – Villanova
7 – Creighton
8 – Marquette
9 – Seton Hall
10 – Butler
11 – Providence

Women's Schedule
All times Eastern
Thursday, 4/16
Women's First Round – 9 a.m. - Complete Results
#6 Villanova, 4 vs. #11 Providence, 0
#7 Creighton, 4 vs. #10 Butler, 1
#8 Marquette, 0 vs. #9 Seton Hall, 4
Friday, 4/17
Quarterfinals – 1 p.m.
#1 Xavier vs. #9 Seton Hall
#2 DePaul vs. #7 Creighton
#3 St. John's vs. #6 Villanova
#4 Georgetown vs. #5 UConn
Saturday, 4/18
Two semifinal matches at 1 p.m.
Sunday, 4/19
Championship match – 1 p.m. - ESPN+

SETON HALL

Seton Hall is 6-14 on the season and 1-5 in conference matches during the regular season, taking a win over Providence and falling to Villanova, DePaul, Georgetown, St. John's and UConn. The Pirates advanced to the Quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over Marquette in the First Round on Thursday morning.
SHU finished 2025 at 12-12 and advanced to the BIG EAST Quarterfinals with a win over Creighton, falling to No. 1 seed UConn to end the season.
The two programs last faced each other on April 4, 2025, with Xavier taking a 7-0 win in Cincinnati. The Musketeers have won eight straight over the Pirates entering the match.

THE MUSKETEERS

Xavier returns eight players from last season's BIG EAST Championship winning squad, including senior Abby Nugent, a 2025 All-BIG EAST First Team selection, and 2025 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and All-BIG EAST Second Team selection Madeleine Rexroat.
Sophomore Clara Owen, who partnered with Nugent as one of the top doubles team in the country, returns, as well as seniors Abigail Siminski and Emily Flowers, juniors Ellie Brotherton and Sofia Mazzucato, and sophomore Natalie Smitek.
The Musketeers added freshman Ella DeFord, a five-star recruit from Mount Pleasant, S.C., to the roster.
Xavier finished the 2025 dual season at 14-9 and won the program's fifth-straight and sixth overall BIG EAST Championship, earning the program's sixth bid to the NCAA Championships.