2008 Woodie Awards
Tennis gets back on track
After rough MAC start, BG wins two matches
By: Nate Parsons
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: Sports
After starting the Mid-American Conference season 0-2, the BG tennis team has reeled off three straight victories, including a win over MAC preseason favorite Buffalo and Akron over the weekend.
BG (14-2, 3-2) defeated UB, 4-3, on Friday and UA, 6-1, on Saturday.
"It was a barn burner," said coach Penny Dean referring to the UB match. "We were out to prove something plus we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to win these big matches since we had that one bad weekend (March 21 and 22) against Toledo and Eastern Michigan."
"We were very excited to beat Buffalo."
The match was played at Shadow Valley Tennis Club in Toledo where BG is 8-0 this season and 30-1 over the last three-plus years.
Just like they did in 12 of the previous 14 dual matches, the Falcons won the doubles point in each match over the weekend to get off to an early lead.
BG won five of the six matches played over the weekend, including a sweep against the Zips.
Kelsey Jakupcin and Christine Chiricosta was the only BG duo to lose a doubles match. They lost a closely-contested match, 9-7, at the top flight to Buffalo's Denise Harijanto and Diana Popescu.
The tandem of senior co-captains Jenna Nussbaum and Andrea Volle won at the second flight in another closely-contested match, 8-6, while Katia Babina and Sam Kintzel won, 8-4, in third-flight action to round out doubles play against the Bulls.
Against Akron, Jakupcin and Chiricosta regrouped to win in impressive fasion, 8-1, at the top flight.
Nussbaum and Volle picked up another doubles victory by rallying from behind to post an 8-7 win against UA's Carolina Castro Cota and Alyssa Carlson in second-flight action. They shut out UA in the tiebreaker.
Libby Harrison and Stefanie Menoff cemented the sweep of the Zips with an 8-3 win at the third flight.
With Kintzel out with an injury, Dean was impressed with how well Harrison and Menoff stepped up.
"They were very successful," she said. "They've been practicing together all year and are a good team."
BG (14-2, 3-2) defeated UB, 4-3, on Friday and UA, 6-1, on Saturday.
"It was a barn burner," said coach Penny Dean referring to the UB match. "We were out to prove something plus we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to win these big matches since we had that one bad weekend (March 21 and 22) against Toledo and Eastern Michigan."
"We were very excited to beat Buffalo."
The match was played at Shadow Valley Tennis Club in Toledo where BG is 8-0 this season and 30-1 over the last three-plus years.
Just like they did in 12 of the previous 14 dual matches, the Falcons won the doubles point in each match over the weekend to get off to an early lead.
BG won five of the six matches played over the weekend, including a sweep against the Zips.
Kelsey Jakupcin and Christine Chiricosta was the only BG duo to lose a doubles match. They lost a closely-contested match, 9-7, at the top flight to Buffalo's Denise Harijanto and Diana Popescu.
The tandem of senior co-captains Jenna Nussbaum and Andrea Volle won at the second flight in another closely-contested match, 8-6, while Katia Babina and Sam Kintzel won, 8-4, in third-flight action to round out doubles play against the Bulls.
Against Akron, Jakupcin and Chiricosta regrouped to win in impressive fasion, 8-1, at the top flight.
Nussbaum and Volle picked up another doubles victory by rallying from behind to post an 8-7 win against UA's Carolina Castro Cota and Alyssa Carlson in second-flight action. They shut out UA in the tiebreaker.
Libby Harrison and Stefanie Menoff cemented the sweep of the Zips with an 8-3 win at the third flight.
With Kintzel out with an injury, Dean was impressed with how well Harrison and Menoff stepped up.
"They were very successful," she said. "They've been practicing together all year and are a good team."
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