Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Tennis Caps Off Regular Season Wednesday vs. Bloomsburg
4/23/2013 8:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 23, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The number of matches left on Bucknell tennis' schedule can be counted on one hand with one of the last bouts coming at 4 p.m. on Wednesday against Bloomsburg at the Varsity Tennis Courts. The match will be the last of the season for the Bison men, while the women will use the opportunity as a last tune-up before heading to the Patriot League Tournament this weekend.
MEN'S NOTEBOOK
- The men enter their final match with a 14-8 overall record. Last weekend, the Bison swept Lafayette 4-0 in the Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals with Octavio Canibe having a major hand in the victory. The sophomore teamed up with Kelly Morque and helped Bucknell clinch the doubles point. Canibe then defeated his singles opponent in straight sets to secure the overall team victory.
- Bucknell fell to Lehigh 4-3 in the semifinals. The Mountain Hawks went on to defeat Navy in the championship match.
- Regardless of Wednesday's results, Evan Zimmer will finish the season with the team lead in singles victories. The senior enters the final day of the season with a 23-13 record. Nick Bybel is second on the team with a 21-9 mark. With Zimmer's and Bybel's success in 2012-13, Bucknell has its first season with two players at 20 victories since Mark Malloy (23-8) and Daniel Bednarek (22-10) in 2008-09.
- Both Zimmer and Bybel have 14 wins during the spring singles campaign.
- Morque will finish his senior season with the team lead in doubles victories, entering Wednesday with a 26-11 record. The senior is 13-8 in the spring following a 13-3 fall tournament schedule. He is also 13-3 on the year, and with wins in seven of his last eight, when playing with Canibe.
- Chris Tortora is currently riding and eight-match winning streak in singles. The sophomore's last loss in a match not decided by default came at the Mount St. Mary's Invitational in mid-September when he fell to The Mount's Austin Blake 6-3, 7-6, (10-8).
- When Bloomsburg comes to town on Wednesday, it will be looking for its first win of the season. The Huskies enter the match at 0-10 on the year having lost most recently to Bluefield State College (5-0).
- Bucknell trails Bloomsburg in the all-time series 13-14. The Bison have won the last five meetings, however, including the 2012 bout by a score of 7-2.
- In 2012, Bucknell got wins over Bloomsburg in two of three doubles matches as well as from Katten, Morque, Jonathan DeFrancesch, Canibe and Kyle Rosen in singles. Canibe was the victor at the No. 5 position, 6-2, 7-6 (1), (12-10), for the closes match of the day.
- Bucknell faced Bloomsburg once this year already when the Huskies came to the Bucknell Invitational in the fall. The Bison were 2-0 in doubles and 1-1 in singles in those meetings.
WOMEN'S NOTEBOOK
- The Bucknell women have had a week off since they were last on the court. Following their bout with Bloomsburg, the third-seeded Bison will take on No. 6 Holy Cross at the Patriot League Tournament at 3 p.m. on Friday at West Point, N.Y.
- Maria Cioffi and Elena Vidrascu enter the week with an 18-8 doubles record together. That gives them three times more wins than any other Bucknell tandem this year. They have won four of their last five doubles matches together. In their last outing, Cioffi and Vidrascu defeated Lehigh's Abby Farrell and Jenai Bilimoria. It was their third win this year over the Mountain Hawks' top duo.
- The end of the Patriot League regular season led to a number of Bison getting back in the wins column. Christie Schneider ended a seven-match losing streak by winning back-to-back singles matches, 6-1, 6-3 over Lafayette's Liza Blank and 7-6 (2), 6-2 over Lehigh's Molly Brooks, and Jen Bush snapped a four-match skid in singles with her win over Lafayette. Lydia Colvin stopped her slide at five matches in both singles and doubles when she collected a pair of victories against the Mountain Hawks.
- Stephanie Pino enters the week 4-2 in singles during the month of April. The freshman has not lost back-to-back singles matches since the start of the duals campaign when she lost three straight to Saint Francis (Pa.), Pittsburgh and Duquesne. That was the only time this season in either dual or tournament play that Pino lost consecutive singles matches.
- Bloomsburg comes to Lewisburg with a 5-9 record having defeated Cheyney 9-0 in its last outing on April 14.
- Bucknell is 31-8 all-time against Bloomsburg and is currently enjoying an eight-game winning streak against the Huskies. When the two squads met in 2012, Bucknell won 6-3 with victories going to two of three doubles tandems and Dumitrita Iepuras, Vidrascu, Courtney Casey and Schneider in singles. Colvin was one of the few Bison not to have a decision go her way being just edged out 7-6 (5), 5-7, (10-7) at third singles.
- Bucknell and Bloomsburg are no strangers to each other this year having played at each other's tournaments during the fall. The Bison are 4-1 in doubles and 6-3 in singles after those events. Elizabeth Morgan and Schneider are the only pair of repeat victors, winning over the Huskies at both the Bucknell Invitational and Bloomsburg Fall Classic. Colvin logged her first singles win of the year at the Bucknell Invite, defeating Aida Diop 6-1, 6-1 in September.
