The Bucknell Invitational was a success for the women's tennis team as they ended the weekend setting a new record with four individual championship titles.
In singles play, senior Andreea Novaceanu added three victories to her record before losing in a close three-set match to Duquesne's Zena Williams 0-6, 6-3 (10-5) in the Flight A final. Despite the loss, Novaceanu's earlier wins brought her career win total to 67, making her the all-time leader in singles victories.
Head coach Kathy Twist was very encouraged by Novaceanu's play throughout the weekend.
"She was in Flight A, which is the top flight," Twist said. "She was playing the best athletes, the best players in the tournament. For her to get to the finals was just outstanding."
Although Novaceanu did not win, Twist acknowledged that she played a tough final match against Williams.
"She took the girl, a very good competitor from Duquesne, to three sets," Twist said. "It was very close and could have gone either way."
Following such a positive weekend, Twist is confident in Novaceanu's abilities and resilience.
"She just plays mature tennis now," Twist said. "She's very composed. If it's a windy day or things just don't go her way, she just works through it and still finds a way to come up and give us a great performance. That's match after match. I'm just very proud of her play."
Sophomore Denise Harijanto also competed in Flight A, but lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion, Williams.
Two of the singles flights had Buffalo players competing against each other in the final. Twist is excited about the intercollegiate impression this creates for the team.
"It just says they are becoming exceptional competitors," Twist said. "I mean they're great tennis players already, but even though you have the great skills and the talent you have to put along with that the knowing how to compete and compete well match after match. That's really what champions are made of."
Flight B saw UB freshmen Diana Popescu and senior Smaranda Stan face off in the final as they both won their previous three matches in straight sets. Stan took the first set, but Popescu took the second and a 10-4 tiebreaker to win the match.
Twist is excited about Popescu's abilities and poise, as she remains undefeated in her freshman season.
"She's got a lot of talent," Twist said of Popescu. "If she makes a mistake, she knows how to work through it. She doesn't seem to get upset. It's unusual to see this kind of maturity in a freshman. It's a pleasure to work with her. She's just a nice kid, great student. She makes my job easy."
The second all-Buffalo final occurred in Flight C as senior Tina Jacob faced off with sophomore Diana Toia. Both players won their previous three matches in straight sets. Jacob took the championship by scores of 6-3, 6-0.
"They're really true competitors," Twist said. "They came out battling each other for the title, and that's really what you like to see. It doesn't matter who steps out on the court with them, they're just going to give you the best."
Freshman Jenelle Jones-Mitchell lost her opening match of the tournament and found herself in the consolation bracket of Flight D. However, Jones-Mitchell won the next three matches including the consolation championship versus Bucknell's Joanna Grossman,
The Bulls also saw action in the doubles bracket as four pairs represented the Bulls.
From Flight A, the duo of Harijanto and Popescu dominated the court and took the championship, defeating Tania Varela and Lauren Lucido of the host team Bucknell in the final by a score of 8-5. Twist was happy with the win and the play of the lead tandem.
"They took the top flight, Denise and Diana," Twist said. "It's always great news for any team. It shows a lot of depth."
Novaceanu paired with Jacob to form the other Buffalo team in Flight A doubles. The duo won their opening match, but lost to Bucknell's Varela and Lucido in the quarterfinals, 8-2.
In Flight B doubles, Stan and freshman Aleksandra Petrova won their opening match 8-3 against the Bucknell pair of Kristyn Solak and Renee Weissand, but fell in the quarterfinals to Alexandria Albano and Andrea Sailor of Duquesne 8-4.
Also in Flight B, Jones-Mitchell and Toia cruised into the finals with victories over Loyola's Lane Maloney and Melanie Ocampos-Barry in the first round 8-0, Loyola's Meaghan McKenna and Mallory Tarca 8-4 in the quarterfinals, and Villanova's Natasha Stone and Katherine Monari in semifinals 8-2. The Bulls fell to Duquesne's Albano and Sailor in a close match; the final score was 9-8.
Having a Buffalo pair in each of the doubles finals increases the confidence Twist has in her team as the Mid-American Conference season approaches.
"It shows that they have a lot of depth," Twist said. "You have to have that kind of ability to play both (doubles and singles) to win a MAC championship."
Twist is impressed by her team's success and consistency both at this tournament and the Army tournament a few weeks ago.
"As a coach it was just outstanding," Twist said. "We dominated at Army. They're just concentrating on each thing that they do and trying to do it well."
The Bulls' next competition is when they travel to Norfolk, VA October 18-23 to compete in the ITA Regionals.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
