Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Tennis Has High Hopes for Season Opener
2/1/2012 7:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 1, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell's men's and women's spring tennis seasons take off this coming Friday and Saturday as the men travel to Saint Francis (Pa.), and the women play host to Pittsburgh at the West Branch Tennis Club in Williamsport, Pa., at 1p.m.
Last spring the men gained their first team victory of the year over Saint Francis, and look to have a repeat performance this Friday at 5 p.m., as they take on a Red Flash team that has opened the 2011-12 season with three straight defeats.
The men expect to grow on a strong fall showing with seniors Gregg Cohenca (Purchase, N.Y./Rye County Day School) and Gregory Maxson (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Hotchkiss School (Conn.)), along with juniors Josh Katten (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview JFK), Kelly Morque (Rye, N.Y./Rye) and Evan Zimmer (Essex Falls, N.J./West Essex) leading the way for a much improved Bison team.
Cohenca and Maxson start the season in the No. 12 and No. 33 spots respectively on the all-time victory rankings at Bucknell. Cohenca needs just three wins to move into the top-10 all-time for Bison victories.
Several underclassmen look to continue their great start to blossoming careers, as freshman Octavio Canibe (Spring, Texas/John Cooper School) and sophomore Chris Tortora (West Orange, N.Y./Seton Hall Prep) both enter the spring coming off of 10 wins during the fall season. Sophomores Scott Bernstein (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) and Kyle Rosen (Armonk, N.Y./Byram Hills) attempt to continue their ever growing presence in the dual field this spring.
Returning players Cohenca, Rosen, Tortora, and Maxson all had singles wins in the 6-1 defeat of the Red Flash a season ago, chipping in four of the Bison's six team points.
On the women's side, the Bison hope to avenge an opening day loss last spring to Pittsburgh (1-1) by relying heavily on seniors Courtney Casey (Rockville, Md./Georgetown Visitation) and Dumitrita Iepuras (Chisinau, Moldova/Germantown Friends School).
Casey is No. 26 on the all-time victories rankings, needing just three victories to move into the top 25. Iepuras ranks 10th and needs to gain seven victories to firmly cement her place in Bison history.
The women's side has multiple up-and-coming underclassmen who seek a strong follow-up to their fall season. Freshmen Jen Bush (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) and Alyssa McAndrew (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde) dominated the doubles scene with an impressive record of 7-1 in their fall season.
After this weekend's matches, the men head to Penn State for a match on Feb. 11, at 3 p.m., and the women travel to take on Saint Francis (Pa.) on Feb.12, at 5 p.m. in Loretta, Pa.
