After an undefeated start in dual meet play in the 2004-05 campaign, the University at Buffalo women's tennis team lost its first dual meet in the spring semester on Friday to the Duquesne Dukes (5-1 overall, 0-0 Atlantic-10) by a score of 5-2, dropping the Bulls' record to 2-1 on the season.
In doubles play, the top UB doubles tandem of sophomore Miglena Nenova and junior Kristen Ortman notched an 8-6 win over the Dukes' top team of Jacqueline Hughes and Julie Wagner.
Unable to match the top duo's success, the Bulls' second team of Katrin Fischer and Brazilian freshman Sabrina Carmona fell by the score of 8-5 to Duquesne's Johanna Beziak and Andrea Sailer. Buffalo's third doubles team of Jamie Jackson and senior captain Onessa Williams was defeated by DU's Ciara McDermott and Sarah Shanahan.
"What we want to find out is how to play to your strengths and to the opponent's weaknesses," said Buffalo coach Kathy Twist. "We didn't play their weaknesses enough ... anything you can do to neutralize their strengths, you have to play."
Buffalo fared better in singles competition, as Fischer avenged her prior double's loss when she faced Duquesne's Sailer one on one this time. Fischer was able to make it look easy, cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 straight set victory over Sailer.
Carmona, Fischer's doubles partner, who was making her UB singles debut, had won a 7-6 (1) opening set over DU's McDermott, when in the second set, she pulled a hamstring. Able to recover, Carmona played tough the rest of the match for a gutsy 6-3 second set en route to the only other singles victory for the Bulls.
"(Sabrina's) performance was outstanding," said Twist. "It was her first college match, and she got pumped. She put the adversity aside and was able to play smart to win the match."
Duquesne won their two singles matches in straight sets. The Dukes' Beziak defeated Buffalo's Nenova, 6-3, 6-2 and Alicia McNamara defeated Jackson, 6-2, 6-2.
The two other singles matches were decided by tiebreakers.
Ortman was able to win her first set over Duquesne's Hughes, by a seemingly decisive 6-0 margin, but Hughes came back to win the second set, 6-4, to force the tiebreaker. Ortman ended up losing the tiebreaker 12-10 to lose the match.
In the other tiebreaker, Buffalo freshman Tina Jacobs won the first set over the Dukes' Shanahan, 6-2, but then lost the second set by the same score to force the tiebreaker. Jacobs dropped the tiebreaker 11-9 to lose the match.
The outlook for the Bulls remains positive, however, according to Coach Twist.
"We know that with each match, we get better and better, and because the matches were so close, we feel good that we hung in there. (Ortman and Jacobs) are real positive, and they know exactly what they need to work on," said Twist.
The Bulls will have nearly two weeks to work on the spots where they came up short in this match. Buffalo next travels to face Niagara, fresh off a 6-3 loss to Mercyhurst College, on Feb. 25.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
