Bucknell Women's Tennis Makes Final Preparations with Trio of League Foes

April 7, 2010

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell women's tennis will play its final three Patriot League matches this week, beginning with Lehigh at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Varsity Tennis Courts. The Bison (8-5, 2-0) will try to become the only remaining league team with an undefeated record as it travels to Army for a 9 a.m. match on Saturday and Lafayette on Sunday for an 11 a.m. contest.

ABOUT THE BISON

Bucknell maintained its winning streak with a pair of wins last week. The Bison opened play with a mid-week bout against Hofstra, defeating the Pride 6-1. They then upended Colgate by the same score last Saturday. Bucknell's streak now stands at six straight matches and eight of the last nine.

The last time the Bison won six straight matches was during the 2004 spring season. Running from Feb. 21 to March 21, Bucknell defeated St. Bonaventure, Niagara, Fairfield, Franklin & Marshall, Long Island, Hamilton and Loyola (Md.) during that stretch. The 2003-04 Bison eventually finished the season at 16-4.

Bucknell is on the verge of having three players reach the 20-win mark in singles this season. Tania Varela (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy) (23-6) and Lauren Lucido (Woodstock, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) (21-6) have already reached the milestone, while Dumitrita Iepuras (Chisinau, Moldova/Germantown Friends School) (19-9) will likely join them in the near future. The last time three or more Bison recorded 20 wins in the same season was in 2004-05. That distinction is held by Tanya Sichko, Nada Curcic, Veronica Brown and Chelsea Mills who finished their careers as the four winningest players in Bucknell singles history.

Iepuras' next singles victory will also give her her second consecutive season with at least 20 wins. The sophomore was 23-5 in her last season, which ended with her being named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Lucido has also reached 20 wins for two straight seasons, having finished 2008-09 at 22-6.

With wins over Hofstra and Colgate last week, Lucido and Varela brought their doubles streak to 12 matches. That marks the second-longest winning streak by a Bison duo since at least 1993. Brown and Curcic teamed up for 16 straight wins in 2004-05.

Varela's singles winning streak of 11 matches also ranks among one of the best in Bucknell history. The current Bison's 11-0 run is tied for third since at least 1993, trailing only Curcic who holds the top two spots at 16 and 12 straight wins.

ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS

Lehigh is just 3-10 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League this season. Included in the wins column is a pair of 5-2 decisions over Marist and Lafayette and a 6-1 victory over Holy Cross. The Mountain Hawks have taken losses to Navy (6-1) and Mount St. Mary's (4-3), both teams that fell to Bucknell earlier this season.

Patricia Muething is leading Lehigh in singles victories this spring. Muething is 5-9 in dual action playing primarily at third and fourth singles. Kiera Murasko-Blank and Abbey Perl have team highs in doubles play. Murasko-Blank has worked her way to a 5-7 record this spring, while Perl is 5-6.

The Mountain Hawks finished last season 6-11 overall and 2-2 in the Patriot League. The team advanced to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals, only to be knocked out by Bucknell by a score of 4-0. Returning for her senior season is Julie Arthofer, a three-time all-league selection who was named to the first team a year ago.

Bucknell trails in the all-time series with the Mountain Hawks 23-19 despite winning both meetings last season. Prior to the 4-0 victory the league tournament semis, Bucknell won 4-3 in the regular season. The doubles team of Lucido and Paulina Gamboa won on both occasions. Gamboa and Iepuras also defeated their opponents singles both times.

ABOUT THE BLACK KNIGHTS

Army is 17-8 overall and 4-0 in the Patriot League, making it the only team other than the Bison to remain undefeated in league action. Those PL victories have come in convincing fashion over Lehigh (7-0), Holy Cross (6-1), Lafayette (7-0) and Colgate (7-0).

Ten Black Knights have reached double-figure wins in singles this year. Leading the way are the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Annie Houghton at 21-9 and Annie Hang at 20-10. Army also has four doubles teams with dough-digit wins in doubles. Michael Tollerton and Robie Verano head that group with a 19-11 record, including 11 wins this spring.

Army's success in women's tennis is nothing new. The Black Knights went 24-9 last season with an undefeated Patriot League season that ended with their 10th league title. In addition to Houghton's Player of the Year title, five Black Knights were named to all-league teams and Paul Peck claimed his fifth consecutive Coach of the Year nod.

Bucknell is just 25-4 all-time against Army. The Bison's last win over the Black Knights came with a 6-1 decision in 1994. Army got the better of Bucknell in both meetings last season, winning 5-2 in the regular season and 4-1 in the Patriot League Championship match. Lucido and Gamboa continued to dominate in doubles, winning in both contests. Varela also defeated Houghton 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles during the regular-season and was leading 6-3, 5-3 in the championships before the match was ended.

Bucknell went 1-1 against Army opponents at the Eastern Championships this fall. Iepuras earned the Bison's lone win, a 6-4, 6-1 upset over the fourth-seeded Hang.

ABOUT THE LEOPARDS

Lafayette sits at the opposite end of the Patriot League standings as Army, going into the weekend at 3-7 overall and 0-5 in the league. The Leopards' wins came in their first three matches, opening the season with Wagner (7-0), Saint Joseph's (3-2) and St. Peter's (5-2). The team will have an opportunity at its fourth win this Saturday in another match with Wagner.

Lafayette finished the 2008-09 season with a 6-10 overall record. At 0-4 in the Patriot League, it took the sixth seed in the tournament and fell 4-0 to Lehigh in the first round.

Bucknell and Lafayette are as even as can be in the all-time series at 17-17-1. Their last meeting was hardly a balanced affair, however, as the Bison came away with the 7-0 victory. All nine matches were decided in straight sets, and the closest bout ended with an 8-5 score at third doubles.

LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will have one more tune-up before heading into the Patriot League Tournament. The Bison will face Robert Morris at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13 at the Varsity Tennis Courts. Bucknell will also recognize Carlin Calcaterra (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central), Kirstyn Sotak (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) and Varela as part of Senior Day prior to the match.

Bucknell University Athletics

Bucknell Women's Tennis Makes Final Preparations with Trio of League Foes

Related News

Related Videos