Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lehigh (PL Tourney)
Bison Down Lehigh to Advance to Patriot League Women's Tennis Final
4/16/2005 8:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 16, 2005
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Bucknell women's tennis team earned a shot at its first Patriot League title since 1994, downing Lehigh 4-1, Saturday in West Point, N.Y. The second-seeded Bison finished off the third-seeded Mountain Hawks for the right to play one-seed Army on Sunday afternoon. Nada Curcic continued her amazing season winning her 16th-straight singles contest. Curcic and doubles partner Veronica Brown also stayed on a roll, also winning their 16th-consecutive match.
The duo of Brown and Curcic got the Bison off the a good start, winning their match at one doubles by shutting out Lehigh's Starrine Foster and Alexis Jacobi. Daniella Shtemberg and Rheanna Gaskin secured the doubles point at three doubles, besting Lindsay Long and Ashley Donohue, 8-6.
Chelsea Mills and Tanya Sichko were holding on by a score of 5-7 at two doubles against Maria Anorga and Gwen Dwyer, but the match was called as Bucknell's wins at one and three doubles had clinched the doubles point. Winning the doubles gave the Bison a huge confidence boost as they had lost the doubles point to Lehigh when the teams squared off earlier this season.
Sichko made the score 2-0 with a win at four singles, taking out Foster, 6-2, 6-0. Curcic was the next to finish play, besting Dwyer at one singles, 6-3, 6-3, to make the score 3-0. Mills clinched the match for the Bison earning the fourth and final point at six singles. Mills defeated Lehigh's Francesca Murasko-Blank, 7-6 (4), 6-1. Jacobi earned the lone Mountain Hawk point, besting Shtemberg, 6-3, 7-6 (2).
Since the Bison were guaranteed the win, all the remaining matches were suspended. Brown and Anorga were knotted at a set apiece at two singles before play was stopped with Brown taking the first 6-3, and Anorga fighting to win the second 7-6 (6). Gaskin was also amidst a battle when her match was suspended, winning the first set at five singles over Long, 6-2. Long reacted winning the second 6-1, and was hanging on to a slim 5-4 lead when play ended.
The Bison will take on the Black Knights for the Patriot League Championship tomorrow afternoon at 12 p.m. at Army's Malek Tennis Center. Army bested Bucknell at home 6-1, in the teams' meeting earlier in the season.
Results -
Doubles
1 - Brown/Curic (B) def. Foster/Jacobi (L) - 8-0
2 - Sichko/Mills (B) v. Anorga/Dwyer (L), 5-7, susp.
3 - Shtemberg/Gaskin (B) def. Long/Donohue (L) - 8-6
Singles
1 - Curcic (B) def. Dwyer (L), 6-3, 6-3
2 - Brown (B) v. Anorga (L), 6-3, 6-7 (2), susp.
3 - Jacobi (L) def. Shtemberg (B) - 6-3, 7-6
4 - Sichko (B) def. Foster (L) - 6-2, 6-0
5 - Gaskin (B) v. Long (L), 6-2, 1-6, 4-5, susp.
6 - Mills (B) def. Murasko-Blank (L), 7-6 (4), 6-1
