The women's tennis team began conference play over the weekend and made a statement: It can contend in the Mid-American Conference this season.
Playing in less than ideal weather conditions at the University Tennis Center near the Ellicott Complex, the Bulls (5-7, 1-1 MAC) dominated Ball State (5-9, 0-2 MAC) in every way, winning the match 6-1 on Friday afternoon. The Bulls could not continue their strong play on Saturday as they lost to Miami (Ohio) (7-9, 2-0 MAC), 6-1.
Buffalo played well sweeping the doubles matches, and dropped its only point in a three-set super tiebreaker against Ball State.
Head coach Kathy Twist refused to let her players worry about the weather or allow them to use it as an excuse for not playing to their ability.
"First we went out on to the court, and walked around to figure out which way the wind is blowing and where the sun [was]," Twist said. "[I told them] Any excuses we want to make, let's hear them now, because we going to put them aside and were just going to play."
The Bulls came out and bullied their opponents, outhitting them and forcing mental errors. Twist has been steady with her double pairings all season, never deviating from them in hopes of building continuity and creating a comfort level for her players. Her strategy has begun to pay dividends as the Bulls have won three out of their last five double's points after struggling earlier in the season.
That trend continued against Ball State, as the Bulls swept the three doubles matches for the second time this year. Junior Kira Golenko and sophomore Anamaria Candanoza easily won their match at third doubles, 8-3. The sophomore tandem of Tanvi Shah and Miranda Podlaswon 8-4. Buffalo's most seasoned doubles pair junior Tamara Markovic and sophomore Marta Stoyanova were also victorious, winning their match 8-6. They led all double pairings with five victories this season.
Candanoza, Shah, Markovic, and Stoyanova all won their matches in straight sets, handily setting up an easy win for the Bulls.
Golenko was the only Bull to suffer a loss Friday, dropping her singles match in three sets, losing the third in a super tiebreaker, 10-7.
Saturday, the Buffalo team that so confidently and completely disposed of Ball State was absent when it took on Miami (Ohio). The Bulls had an opportunity to beat one of the best teams in the conference but fell behind early and could never recover. The RedHawks swept Buffalo in doubles competition and got the early point where the Bulls had been so strong in prior contests.
Podlas and Shah lost 8-6, Stoyanova and Markovic lost 8-5, and the team of Candanoza and Golenko were defeated 8-3. Miami (OH) continued its winning ways in the singles competition.
Shah, Podlas, Golenko, and Candanoza all lost in straight sets, while Markovic lost in a three-set super tiebreaker, 4-6, 6-4, 10-6.
"Miami is the number one team in the MAC right now," Twist said. "I felt [we] were a little hesitant. [We] did not go after their volleys, [we] did not go after their ground strokes, and [we] are going to have to self-discover why that is, because I thought we were just as good and the only thing hindering us were the obstacles in our mind."
Not every Bull fell against the stiff competition. Stoyanova accounted for Buffalo's only point Saturday, winning her match in impressive fashion, 7-5, 6-1. She was particularly dominant during the second set, staying on the attack with her serve and aggressively attacking return shots. She kept her opponent pinned down and controlled the set from start to finish.
The Bulls hope to get a pair of wins to pull back to .500 when they visit conference rivals Bowling Green (5-5, 0-1 MAC) and Western Michigan (12-7) next weekend.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
