Bucknell University
Army
Bucknell Women's Tennis Pushes Army but Falls 4-3 in Patriot League Championship Match
4/18/2010 8:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 18, 2010
HAMILTON, N.Y. – Bucknell women's tennis gave Army a run for its money at the Patriot League Championships but could not come away with the victory, falling 4-3 on the indoor courts at Turning Stone on Sunday afternoon. The Bison (13-7) led by one point with two matches remaining before the Black Knights claimed their sixth consecutive league title.
Bucknell got off to a rocky start, losing the doubles point and its first singles match to find itself trailing 2-0. Lauren Lucido (Woodstock, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) and Tania Varela (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy) knotted things up with wins at second and first singles, respectively. Lucido defeated Army's Erin Colton 6-4, 6-1, and Varela followed with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Annie Houghton.
Those two wins extended the Bucknell players' winning streaks. Varela is now at 18 straight victories, setting a program record for the longest singles winning streak. Lucido's stretch of success now stands at 13 consecutive wins.
Dumitrita Iepuras (Chisinau, Moldova/Germantown Friends School) gave Bucknell the lead with one of several hard-fought matches for the Bison. The sophomore defeated Jessica Ahn 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 at No. 3 singles. That put the pressure on the fifth and sixth singles players for both teams, and both those matches went to three sets as well.
Dara Dowjewski (Chester, N.J./West Morris Mendham) at No. 5 singles and Lauren Rottkamp (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) at the No. 6 position both claimed first-set victories. Dwojewski won the opening set 7-6 (5) over Jurelle Mendoza, while Rottkamp was a 6-4 winner over Annie Hang. Neither Bison was able to hang on, however. Hang closed out Rottkamp 6-3, 6-2 in the final two sets. Mendoza, who was named the Tournament MVP, clinched the title for Army by defeating Dwojewski 6-1, 6-3 in the final sets.
Bucknell has now fallen to Army in each of the last six Patriot League Championship matches. The 2010 meeting marks one of the closest affairs, as only the 2008 championship was decided by a score of 4-3 as well.
The Bison have one match remaining in their season. They will host Bloomsburg at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21. The team will also celebrate Senior Day prior to the match.
Army 4, Bucknell 3
Doubles:
1. Erin Colton/Annie Hang (A) ahead Tania Varela/Lauren Lucido (B), 7-5 DNF
2. Annie Houghton/Jessica Ahn (A) def. Carlin Calcaterra/Courtney Casey (B), 8-1
3. Michael Tollerton/Robie Verano (A) def. Dumitrita Iepuras/Daria Tuzhikova (B), 8-2
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3 DNF
Singles:
1. Tania Varela (B) def. Annie Houghton (A), 6-3, 6-4
2. Lauren Lucido (B) def. Erin Colton (A), 6-4, 6-1
3. Dumitrita Iepuras (B) def. Jessica Ahn (B), 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
4. Michael Tollerton (A) def. Carlin Calcaterra (B), 6-2, 6-2
5. Jurelle Mendoza (A) def. Dara Dwojewski (B), 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3
6. Annie Hang (A) def. Lauren Rottkamp (B), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 1, 3, 6, 5
