The Intercollegiate Tennis Association is having its women's East Regional Championship Tournament in Philadelphia this weekend, and normally, the UB team would be home watching with envy.
But this year, Coach Kathy Twist is sending three of her players to compete in the ITAs. Junior Kristen Ortman, sophomore Miglena Nenova, and freshman Andreea Novaceanu are all making the trip down to "the city of brotherly love" to compete for an automatic berth in the national championship.
This year marks the first time that UB has sent a women's tennis player to the tournament in four years. And with three girls making the cut, this year's squad has set a new program high for the number of players competing in the ITAs.
The ITA invites players to the regional championship based on their statistics, including who they have played and how well they did. According to Coach Twist, having more than one player from the same team is not an easy feat to accomplish.
"It's great recognition for UB, not only to be invited, but to have three players competing. Hopefully, it'll show not only how strong we've got, but how far we've come," Twist said.
Ortman and Nenova will be competing for a doubles berth to the national championship. Each player is 5-3 on the season, with Ortman seeing time at both second and third singles and Nenova switching it up at first and third singles. As a doubles team they have played second doubles with great consistency for the entire year.
The lone singles player from UB will be Novaceanu, who has played against opponents at first and second singles. She is undefeated as a Bull, going 6-0 in the fall season.
Coach Twist said she is looking forward to what the girls will bring back from the ITAs.
"When you play the best, you bring back a standard of excellence. They'll see what champions do and they'll bring that back with them," Twist said.
Twist said this honor isn't just for the three girls going. She pointed to the other players on the team who have gotten them ready for the ITAs.
"For the team, everyone's excited, even the players that aren't going. They're representing UB and our team; they understand that this honor isn't just for the three that are playing; it's for the whole team. The other girls have raised their level of play just to make sure they're ready for the tournament," she said.
Ortman has also given her teammates credit for the success that she has enjoyed.
"I feel very honored to be invited to the ITAs. It's been two years in the making; hard work by each and every person on the team has enabled me, Maggie and Andreea to represent the University at Buffalo this year," Ortman said.
Twist hopes that the team will look back at the ITAs as what launched them to the next level.
"Because they will see this level of play, they will bring back a higher standard, something else to reach for. We've been winning and they want to keep that going. We're at a higher level; we work too hard to accept anything other than excellence. There isn't any room for stepping back now," Twist said.
