The men's and women's tennis teams soaked up the beautiful weather during their road trip down south, but it was the women's team who basked in victory.
The women's tennis team squashed the competition in the Sunshine State, winning both games decisively and improving their record to 8-1 on the season. They opened up with a 5-2 win over Hillsborough Community College and then swept past Florida Community College with a 9-0 win.
In their first match against Hillsborough Community College, the Bulls faced a distinguished junior college program that was last year's NJCAA national runner-up. The Bulls took two of the three doubles matches and four out of the six single's matches en route to the win. The Bulls were also thrilled to have junior standout Andrea Novaceanu back in the lineup. Novaceanu paired with freshman Denise Harijanto for an 8-2 victory in double's play.
"Andrea (Novaceanu) is really glad to be back and she showed no signs of her injury affecting her play," said head coach Kathy Twist. "She seems to be her old her self and is ready to dominate."
The team's second victim was Florida Community College who proved to be no match for the talented and recently strengthened Bulls' lineup. Buffalo dominated both doubles and singles play across the board.
"We understand how to win," Twist said. "We don't take any team lightly and take one game at a time."
The men's tennis team was defeated in all three of their matches over spring break heading back to the coldness that is Buffalo, with an equally bleak record of 4-9 for the season. The Bulls struggled with a diminished lineup due in part to a flu bug that had a few of their players sidelined for the trip. Buffalo first lost to Marquette University, 5-1, then 6-0 to Stetson University and finally 5-1 to Jacksonville University.
The Bulls faced up against the Marquette Golden Eagles of the Big East Conference in their first match and managed only one win in singles play thanks to senior Mike Rockman.
"Mike (Rockman) always comes to play, and is one of the most consistent guys I've worked with," said assistant coach Nick Zieziula.
The second game of the men's trip was played against Stetson. The Bulls were forced to forfeit the No. 3 doubles match and No. 6 singles match because sophomore Octavian Stane was taken to the hospital with a high temperature. Buffalo was bested in the rest of the matches as the Hatters shut them out.
"We just didn't have enough healthy bodies out there for us to be at a competitive level." Zieziula said.
The men's final match was against the Jacksonville Dolphins was determined by just six singles matches. The Dolphins proceeded to win five of them, with the only Buffalo win coming from junior Nikesh Singh Panthlia in straight sets. Singh Panthlia won the opening set, 7-5, and then took a 7-2 tiebreaker to win the second set, 7-6, securing the win.
"(Singh) Panthlia's game is continuing to develop and make progress," Zieziula said. "He is matching his natural talent with mental toughness and good physical conditioning."
Both teams are now gearing up for the Mid-American Conference season. The women's team's next matches are set to be played at Ball State on Friday, March 23 and at Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, March 24. The men's team will be hosting Ball State Friday night at the Village Glen Tennis Center starting at 7 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
