Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Navy
Bucknell Women's Tennis Ends Season with 4-2 Loss to Navy Despite Lucido's Records
4/23/2011 8:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 23, 2011
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Lauren Lucido (Woodstock, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) became the all-time leader in singles and doubles victories, but the senior's record-breaking performances could not keep Bucknell women's tennis alive as the Bison lost 4-2 to Navy in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals at the Brigade Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon. Bucknell ends its 2010-11 season with a 10-11 overall record after failing to advance to the championship match for the first time in seven seasons.
Lucido and Dumitrita Iepuras (Chisinau, Moldova/Germantown Friends School) dispatched their doubles opponents quickly to check the first record off Lucido's to-do list. The Bison duo defeated Amanda Griffin and Dye Das at the No. 1 position, 8-1. It was their second win over the same Navy pair this season.
Lucido's career ends with her having gone 83-35 at doubles. That puts her one victory over Veronica Brown, who had held the record with an 82-42 mark since 2006.
In singles play, Lucido defeated Griffin again, 6-4, 6-4 at the top of the lineup. The Bison veteran is finishes 87-36 in her singles career with one more win than Tanya Sichko. Sichko, who set the program's previous singles record in 2005, was 86-40 in her career. Not surprisingly, Lucido is the all-time leader in total victories at Bucknell. In singles and doubles combined she is 170-71, and her .705 winning percentage is 11th in program annals.
It had been more than half a decade since Bucknell entered the Patriot League Tournament seeded lower than second, and the third-seeded Bison ran up against a tough No. 2 Navy on Saturday. Lucido and Iepuras were the first match off the court in doubles, but the Midshipmen ran off with the next two matches to take the first point. Emani Dequir and Stefanie Ton defeated Daria Tuzhikova (Minsk, Belarus/Gymnasium No. 7) and Courtney Casey (Rockville, Md./Georgetown Visitation) 8-2, while Brittney Boucher and Erin Snook were 8-5 winners over Dara Dwojewksi (Chester, N.J./West Morris Mendham) and Elena Vidrascu (Rochester, N.Y./Sutherland).
Bucknell briefly took a 2-1 lead in the team scoring as Lauren Rottkamp (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) and Lucido ticked off victories in the first completed singles bouts. Rottkamp defeated Ton 6-2, 7-6 (3) at third singles, a major improvement for the Bison over the players' last meeting. When Rottkamp and Ton squared off in the regular season, Ton won both sets at love.
Rottkamp's victory gives her sole possession of 12th all-time in program singles wins. The senior ends her career with a 48-43 tally.
While Rottkamp was able to rebound from her regular-season loss to Navy, Iepuras and Casey suffered similar fates to their earlier meetings. Iepuras lost to Decquir in three sets, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, for the second time this season as did Casey. Casey's defeat came at the hands of Darien Sears, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The loss marks the end of the season for Bucknell, but Navy will look for its first-ever Patriot League Championship tomorrow. The Mids will take on the winner of No. 1 Army vs. No. 5 Colgate at 1 p.m.
Navy 4, Bucknell 2
Doubles
1. Lauren Lucido/Dumitrita Iepuras (B) def. Amanda Griffin/Dye Das (N), 8-1
2. Emani Decquir/Stefanie Ton (N) def. Daria Tuzhikova/Courtney Casey (B), 8-2
3. Brittney Boucher/Erin Snook (N) def. Dara Dwojewski/Elena Vidrascu (B), 8-5
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. Lauren Lucido (B) def. Amanda Griffin (N), 6-4, 6-4
2. Emani Decquir (N) def. Dumitrita Iepuras (B), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
3. Lauren Rottkamp (B) def. Stefanie Ton (N), 6-2, 7-6 (3)
4. Darien Sears (N) def. Courtney Casey (B), 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
5. Erin Snook (N) def. Elena Vidrascu (B), 6-2, 7-6 (2)
6. Brittney Boucher (N) vs. Dara Dwojewski (B), 5-7, 6-3 DNF
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 5, 4, 2 (6 DNF)
