Bucknell University
Army
Bucknell Women's Tennis Falls to Top-Seeded Army in PL Championship Match, 4-0
4/30/2007 8:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 30, 2007
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - For the third consecutive year the Bucknell women's tennis team fell to Army in the Patriot League Championship match as the third-seeded Bison lost to the top-seeded Black Knights 4-0 Monday afternoon at Lehigh's Ulrich Tennis Courts. Bucknell completed its 2007 campaign with an 8-14 mark, while Army improved to 15-10 and earned the Patriot League's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Despite falling to Army by a 4-0 score in the championship match for a third straight year, Bucknell fought hard as Tania Varela (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy) forced three sets at No. 1 singles and Paulina Gamboa (Mexico City, Mexico/Greengates School) nearly won her first set at No. 2.
Varela lost to Niki Flach, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, to end the match, but she still concluded her stellar freshman campaign 18-7, including 9-5 during the spring season.
Gamboa nearly forced three sets against Brooke Jones, but narrowly dropped the first set 7-5 and then lost the second 6-1.
Ashley Globerman (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown) was the only other Bison player to complete her singles match and she lost 6-3, 6-0, to Kristin Beehler at No. 4.
In doubles play, Varela and Globerman fell to Flach and Jones, 8-3, at No. 1, while Caitlin Baffa (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills) and Camille Simonetti (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) lost 8-0 at No. 3. Gamboa and Carlin Calcaterra (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) were trailing 7-5 when the Black Knights sealed the doubles point.
Calcaterra, who was in a third set with Sarah Giles-Madden at No. 3, Kirstyn Sotak (Beechwood, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) and Baffa did not get a chance to finish their singles matches when Army claimed its fourth point.
With a 14-person roster made up of 11 freshmen and sophomores, Bucknell will return 12 players from this year's team next fall. The Bison will aim to advance to a fourth consecutive Patriot League Championship match next spring.
No. 1 Army 4, No. 3 Bucknell 0
Doubles
1. Flach/Jones (A) def. Varela/Globerman (B), 8-3
2. Shurtz/Giles-Madden (A) led Gamboa/Calcaterra (B), 7-5, DNF
3. Ford/Beehler (A) def. Baffa/Simonetti (B), 8-0
Singles
1. Nikki Flach (A) def. Tania Varela (B), 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3
2. Brooke Jones (A) def. Paulina Gamboa (B), 7-5, 6-1
3. Carlin Calcaterra (B) vs. Sarah Giles-Madden (A), 6-4, 3-6, 3-3, DNF
4. Kristin Beehler (A) def. Ashley Globerman (B), 6-2, 6-0
5. Diana Alquero (A) led Kirstyn Sotak (B), 6-4, 2-1, DNF
6. Paige Ford (A) led Caitlin Baffa (B), 6-0, 1-0, DNF
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 1
DNF - Did Not Finish
