Two Buffalo women's tennis players left the Intercollegiate Tennis Association regional tournament with school records under their belt.
This past weekend, the ITA tournament had nine locations throughout the country where regional tournaments took place. The champion from each regional will be invited to Columbus, Ohio for the championship next month. The Bulls took part in the tournament at Dartmouth, N.H.
In doubles play, senior Miglena Nenova and freshman Denise Harijanto represented the Bulls. Nenova and Harijanto went into the tournament with sevens wins, which led all other pairs for the Bulls.
In the first round, the Bulls pair defeated Jesse Adler and Kerry Snow from Dartmouth, 8-4.
The victory was the 60th doubles win for Nenova during her career at Buffalo, setting a new school record. The win passed the previous high of 59 set by current assistant head coach Kristen Ortman.
"I'm sure Kristen's not going to like that," said Bulls' head coach Kathy Twist. "No, we're all happy that Maggie was able to do that. She's earned it. She has worked really hard."
Nenova and Harijanto advanced to the second round and faced Marianne Baker and Eleanor Peters of Maryland. Baker and Peters, the third-seeded pair of the tournament, won the match 8-4, eliminating the Bulls from the tournament.
The Bulls were not the last ones to fall victim to Baker and Peters at the tournament. The pair from Maryland went on to be the runners-up for the regional.
"That's the luck of the draw," Twist said.
Junior Andreea Novaceanu was the lone player for Buffalo in singles play. She earned a first-round bye from the field of 128.
In the second round, Novaceanu played Kim Weltman of Albany. Novaceanu had little problems during the match as she won, 6-2, 6-2.
The third round was a little more challenging. Lynzee Kever put up more of a fight in the first set, which went to a tie-break. However, Novaceanu still won in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 6-2.
Novaceanu advanced to the quarterfinals with the victory. Only one other unseeded player made the quarterfinals this year. This was the first time in school history that a player, men's or women's, had advanced this far in the tournament.
The win tied Novaceanu for the second most singles victories in school history. She has 55 wins, along with Nenova. Ortman holds the record with 59 wins during her playing career.
Melissa Saiontz from Princeton ended the run for Novaceanu in the quarterfinals (6-0, 7-5).
Twist noticed a difference in the play of Novaceanu during the two sets.
"She played a very flat first set," Twist said. "In the second set, I think she realized she could win. She was the better player. In the second set, she led 4-3. There was a definite chance for her to win."
Advancing to the quarterfinals in such a large tournament was an accomplishment that Twist was proud of. However, she noticed a point of emphasis that she planned on helping Novaceanu improve.
"She has played tentatively in times of difficulty," Twist said. "We're going to work on that this year."
Twist hopes that Novaceanu will advance even further in the tournament next year, when she returns for her senior season.
"Every year she keeps going up at least two more levels," Twist said. "Next year I would like to see her to keep advancing. Hopefully, she can make it to the finals."
The tournament concluded the fall season for the Bulls. Nenova and Harijanto go into the break with a doubles record of 9-4. Novaceanu ended the fall season with a record of 9-2 in singles play.
Twist was pleased with the play of her team during the tournament and throughout the season. She said that the players will continue to work on their mental toughness to prepare for the spring.
The Bulls have a few months off before the spring season starts. Their next match is Jan. 27 at Syracuse. This will help prepare them for March, when they begin to face Mid-American Conference opponents.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
