Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Varela Earns Third Patriot League Player of the Month Honor
4/2/2010 8:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 2, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell's Tania Varela (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy) was named the Patriot League Female Tennis Player of the Month on Friday after going undefeated in March. The Bison senior finished 9-0 in doubles and 8-0 in singles last month, bringing her current winning streak that dates back to February to 21 consecutive matches.
Varela closed out the month of March with winning streaks that totaled 11 matches in doubles and 10 in singles, both of which are career highs. Varela's last loss came on Feb. 13 when Bucknell fell to Pittsburgh. Since then, she has helped Bucknell to a 7-2 team record and became one of the top five players in program history in career singles, doubles and combined victories.
Varela's wins have been high in quality as well as quantity. With the exception of tight competition at Syracuse on March 7 when she defeated CC Sardinha in three sets at No. 1 singles, Varela's closest match was a 6-2, 6-2 decision over her opponent from Navy last week. No other player has taken more than one game per set off Varela in singles and two matches have been decided by a score of 6-0, 6-0.
Her doubles dominance has been similar. Varela teamed with Lauren Lucido (Woodstock, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) to defeat the Syracuse duo 8-7, but no other opponents have managed to win more than three games against the Bucknell tandem.
Each of Varela's most recent doubles matches have come while paired with Lucido. The team is 11-3 together on the season, making them the Bison's winningest partners.
With a team-leading 22-6 singles record this year, Varela has improved her career tally to 66-25, ranking her fifth in Bucknell annals. Her career doubles record is equally impressive at 66-30, which is good for fourth all-time at the university. Varela is also fifth in combined wins at 132-55 and needs just one more victory to tie former teammate Paulina Gamboa for number four on the list.
The award is Varela's second of the season and the third of her career. She was also named the league's top player after winning the Flight A singles draw at the Cornell Invitational in January. It is also the fourth Player of the Month honor for the Bison in five possible voting periods. Dumitrita Iepuras (Chisinau, Moldova/Germantown Friends School) and Lucido have also been recognized by the league this season.
Varela's success has helped Bucknell to victories in each of its last five matches and in seven of its last eight, bringing the team's season tally to 7-5 overall and 1-0 in the Patriot League.
Bucknell will host Colgate at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Varsity Tennis Courts. The women's match will be preceded by the men's bout with the Raiders at 10 a.m.
