MAC Women's Tennis Weekend Preview

 

 

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron women's tennis team returns home this weekend to play host to a pair of nationally-ranked opponents at its indoor facility of LaTuchie Tennis Center in nearby Stow (driving directions). The Zips (1-3) face off against 52nd-ranked Missouri on Friday at noon ET and 73rd-ranked Princeton on Sunday at 10 a.m.

 

Akron, which faces its fourth- and fifth-consecutive ranked opponents, looks to rebound from losses to No. 4 USC and No. 55 Tulane in the Los Angeles regional of last week's ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

 

Missouri (2-1) competed in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend as well, going 1-1 with a 4-3 loss to 31st-ranked South Carolina and 4-0 win over 63rd-ranked Brown in Ann Arbor, Mich. Cierra Gaytan-Leach is ranked 71st in singles (No. 1) and teams with Elisha Gabb to comprise the nation's 26th-ranked doubles team (No. 1).

 

Princeton (1-0) opened its season on Wednesday with a 6-1 win versus Temple. Amanda Muliawan is ranked 52nd nationally in singles (No. 2). Muliawan and Lindsay Graff are ranked 45th in doubles (No. 1), while the Tiger pair of Monica Chow and Katie Goepel is listed 58th (No. 3) in the latest poll.

 

Akron will be facing both programs for the first time.  Missouri and Princeton are scheduled to matchup at 11 a.m. on Saturday at LaTuchie Tennis Center.

 

 

 

 

The Bowling Green State University tennis team, riding a three-match winning streak, returns home for the next month and a half.  The Falcons of head coach Penny Dean play the next seven matches in Northwest Ohio, beginning with a pair of contests at the Perrysburg Tennis Center this weekend.

 

BGSU will face Youngstown State University on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 2) in a 2:30 p.m. start, and the Falcons will meet the University of Evansville on Sunday morning (Feb. 3), with first serve scheduled for 9:30 a.m.  Admission to both matches is free.

 

Saturday's (Jan. 24) Drake match saw the Brown and Orange capture all three doubles matches and five of the six singles contests.  Against CSU the following morning (Jan. 25), the Falcons won at all three doubles flights for the second-straight day, losing a combined total of just five games in the process.  BG then went on to win all six singles matches in straight sets.

 

Juniors Nikki Chiricosta and Emily Reuland each went a perfect 4-0 last weekend, while four of their teammates had 3-0 records.  That list included seniors Maddy Eccleston, Katie Grubb and Jade Johnson along with freshman Katie Brozovich.

 

Senior Mary Hill had a 2-1 record on the weekend, while freshman Drew Fillis won her lone match.

 

Johnson's two wins on Sunday vs. CSU give her a total of 87 combined career wins at BGSU, moving her into a tie for 30th place on the school's career list.  All six of the team's veteran players are ranked among the top 30 on that BG career chart.

 

Eccleston, a team co-captain, leads active Falcons and is near the top of all three BGSU career wins lists. The Toledo native has moved into sixth place in school history with 146 combined career victories. She moved past former Falcon great and current BG assistant coach Cindy (Mikolajewski) Yonker, who had 143 wins in her career (1994-97).

 

Eccleston is third on the BGSU career doubles wins list, with 82 victories.  She is just seven away from tying the school record held by her former teammate, Christine Chiricosta (89 wins from 2008-11).

 

On the singles wins list, Eccleston and Nikki Chiricosta each have 64 career wins to tie for 15th in BG history.   Chiricosta is also deadlocked for 15th in school history in overall wins, with 127, and she is tied for 14th in doubles victories, with 63.

 

Reuland, like Chiricosta just a junior, is ranked 20th in singles wins (61) and is tied for 21st in overall victories (117).  Hill, in just her third year with the Falcons, is tied for 23rd on the singles wins list (50), deadlocked for 20th in doubles victories (58) and is 23rd in overall wins (108) at the school.

 

Grubb has moved into a tie for 25th on the singles wins list, with 48, and she is tied for 17th with 59 doubles wins.  Grubb is now 24th in school history with 107 overall wins.

 

Johnson, as mentioned, is now tied for 30th in overall victories. She is 22nd in BGSU history in doubles wins, with 57.

 

On the season, Chiricosta leads the Falcons with a 29-11 overall record, with Reuland right behind at 28-12.  Both Grubb (22-9) and Brozovich (22-15) have surpassed the 20-win mark for the year, while Eccleston has 19 total victories, Johnson 18, Hill 15 and Fillis 14.

 

Chiricosta and Reuland each are 13-5 in singles play this season, with Brozovich 12-8 and Grubb 10-5 on the year.  In doubles play, Chiricosta has a team-best 16-6 mark, while Reuland is 15-7, Johnson 13-4 and Eccleston 13-7.  Fillis (10-5) and Brozovich (10-7) each have 10 doubles victories on the season, while Hill has nine.

 

All eight Falcons are at least three wins over the .500 mark in doubles, and BGSU has combined for a 49-23 doubles record this season.

 

As mentioned, the Falcons have won three consecutive matches heading into the YSU match.  After a road loss at No. 19 Notre Dame to begin the dual-match season, BG bounced back with a 7-0 win over Duquesne at the PTC on Jan. 19, before heading to Illinois and posting the two wins last weekend.

 

Over the last three matches, the Falcons are a combined 17-1 in singles and 8-1 in doubles action.

 

Grubb has won six consecutive matches (singles and doubles combined), dating back to a win in exhibition singles play at Notre Dame.  No fewer than five of her teammates -- Brozovich, Chiricosta, Eccleston and Johnson and Reuland -- each have won five-straight matches.

 

Brozovich, as mentioned, has a 12-8 singles record this season to date.  Only one of those eight losses has come in two sets.  The other seven all have come in third-set super-tiebreakers, with six of those seven tiebreakers ending by a score of 10-6 or closer.

 

Last weekend, Brozovich lost just one total game in her four singles sets.

 

Grubb has won six consecutive singles matches, having last lost in singles play way back on Nov. 11.  All but one of those wins came in the minimum number of sets.

 

Youngstown State enters Saturday's BGSU match with a dual-match record of 0-1 on the season.  The Penguins headed to Northwest Ohio last weekend as well, suffering a 5-2 loss to Toledo on Saturday night at Shadow Valley.  YSU picked up wins at the top-two singles flights as well as the number-one doubles level.

 

Evansville is 2-1 in dual-match play this year.  After posting a victory over Charleston (W.Va.) during the fall portion of the schedule, the Purple Aces split a pair of matches on the road last weekend, losing to Indiana State, 4-3, before picking up a 6-1 win at Lipscomb.  UE plays at IPFW on Saturday before meeting BGSU the following day.

 

BGSU is a perfect 13-0 all time in dual matches vs. Youngstown State, including an 11-0 mark at home.  The teams did not meet last season, but played in each of the nine previous years.  The most recent meeting saw the Brown and Orange pick up a 7-0 win in Youngstown two years ago (March 19, 2011).  In the lone prior meeting at the Perrysburg Tennis Center, the Falcons won a 7-0 decision three years ago (Jan. 31, 2010).

 

Sunday's meeting will mark BGSU's first-ever dual match vs. Evansville.

 

Following this weekend's matches, the Falcons will prepare for another set of weekend matches at the PT.  BGSU will face Cleveland State on Friday afternoon, Feb. 8, before meeting Cincinnati on Sunday morning, Feb. 10.  The CSU match will begin at 12:00 p.m., with the UC match set for a 9:30 a.m. start.

 

 

 

 

YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University women's tennis team will kick off their home season this weekend against the University of Detroit Titans Friday, Feb. 1, at the Chippewa Club. The match will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday, followed by a trip Sunday, Feb. 3, to Chicago, Ill. to take on the Blue Demons of DePaul University. Play will begin at 1 p.m.

 

The Eagles last saw Detroit in the 2010-11 season wherein they shutout the Titans in a 7-0 victory, a game played away from home in Detroit. Coming off a recent win against IPFW, the Eagles look to repeat such a performance- this time on their own court.

 

Both the Detroit Titans and the DePaul Blue Demons currently hold a record of 0-2 for the season. The Eagles are currently 2-4.

 

 

 

 

TOLEDO, OH - Toledo (2-1) will carry its win streak into the weekend for a home match against Cleveland State (0-2) on Friday and a road contest at Michigan State (5-0) on Saturday. The Rockets and Vikings will take the courts inside the Shadow Valley Tennis Club at 6:00 p.m., while the Spartans will welcome UT in East Lansing, MI for another 6:00 p.m. start. 

 

The Midnight Blue & Gold are coming off two wins over IPFW and Youngstown State last weekend at Shadow Valley. 

 

UT conquered IPFW by claiming three singles matches and took the deciding point in doubles action in their home opener. Freshmen Mackenzie Bowman and Katelyn Nguyen captured their first-collegiate victories over the 2010 and 2011 Summit League champions. Bowman defeated IPFW's Theresa Neumeyr at No. 4 singles in straight sets, while Nguyen triumphed over Marcy Huck in a three-set battle at the No. 5 spot, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

 

Junior Chrissy Coffman claimed her first win of the season, defeating Kristine Lindel by a scores of 6-0, 7-5 at No. 3 singles.

 

In doubles competition, freshman Emily Mazzola won for the second time this season. She paired up with Bowman for an 8-3 victory over the Mastodons.

 

Nguyen teamed up with senior Silvia Carvajal and won the No. 3 match to earn the all-important doubles point.

 

The Rockets beat YSU by picking up four victories at No. 3-6 singles, all in straight sets. Coffman defeated YSU's Annina Brendel at No. 3, 6-2, 6-0. Bowman and Nguyen claimed the No. 4 and 5 matches, respectively, while Carvajal won the final No. 6 match by scores of 6-1, 6-1 over YSU's Tioana Raicevic.

 

Sophomore Pia Rygh played her third match at the No. 1 singles spot and almost came away victorious, falling in three sets to Maria Burak - 6-7 (4), 6-0, 10-4.

 

UT took two-of-three in doubles action to earn another point. The freshmen duo of Bowman and Mazzola remained undefeated on the season by winning the No. 2 match, 8-4. Carvajal and Nguyen also paired up for an 8-4 victory at No. 3 doubles.

 

Toledo will host Cincinnati and California U. of PA. next weekend. Those matches will be played on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

 

 

 

 

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Western Michigan women's tennis team saw their three-match win streak to start the season snapped on Sunday, as the Broncos fell 7-0 to the #50 Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington.  With the loss, the Broncos fall to 3-1 on the season.

 

The nationally-ranked Hoosiers overpowered the Broncos in the contest, taking the three doubles matches and holding the Broncos without a win in singles play.  Maggie Remynse had her five-match singles winning streak snapped in the No. 4 singles match, giving Carolyn Chupa a run for her money in the first set before falling 7-5, 6-1.

 

Indiana opened doubles play with an 8-1 win in the No. 3 match, as Remynse and Kelsey King fell to Alecia Kauss and Shannon Murday.  The doubles point was clinched when Jill Pastunink and Nini Sujashvili fell in the No. 1 match to Leslie Hureau and Sophie Garre, and Kathleen Hawkins and Caroline Aleck fell in the No. 2 match to wrap the session.

 

The Hoosiers started singles play with a win in the NO. 6 singles match, as Murdy defeated the Broncos' Hailey Shanahan to give her team a 2-0 edge.  Sujashvili battled Hureau in the No. 1 singles match but ultimately lost 6-1, 6-2, and Klyczek clinched the match with a win over Hawkins in the No. 2 singles match.

 

Indiana 7, Western Michigan University 0

Jan 27, 2013 at Bloomington, Ind. 

 

Singles competition 

1. Leslie Hureau (IU) def. Nini Sujashvili (WMU) 6-1, 6-2 

2. Katie Klyczek (IU) def. Kathleen Hawkins (WMU) 6-1, 6-2 

3. Alecia Kauss (IU) def. Jill Pastunink (WMU) 6-2, 6-2 

4. Carolyn Chupa (IU) def. Maggie Remynse (WMU) 7-5, 6-1 

5. Sophie Garre (IU) def. Caroline Aleck (WMU) 6-2, 6-1 

6. Shannon Murdy (IU) def. Hailey Shanahan (WMU) 6-2, 6-0 

 

Doubles competition 

1. Leslie Hureau/Sophie Garre (IU) def. Jill Pastunink/Nini Sujashvili (WMU) 8-1 

2. Carolyn Chupa/Katie Klyczek (IU) def. Kathleen Hawkins/Caroline Aleck (WMU) 8-1 

3. Alecia Kauss/Shannon Murdy (IU) def. Maggie Remynse/Kelsey King (WMU) 8-1 

 

Match Notes 

Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,1,2,5,3,4)