Women's Tennis Opens Season at Bucknell Tournament

LEWISBURG, Pa.- The Bison women's tennis team is set to open up its season this week as part of the Bucknell Tournament in Lewisburg. Matches will begin on Friday, Sept. 5 at 2 p.m. Bucknell is set to face Loyola, Colgate, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Concordia.

Bucknell Tournament Schedule:

Friday 2 p.m.

Saturday 9 a.m.

Sunday 9 a.m.

Season Preview:

In 2014, the Bison finished their season with an overall record of 7-8. With two returning seniors and four new freshmen, coach Rebecca Helt is hopeful for a winning season and an impressive showing in the Patriot League, after finising 3-2 in league play last year. She is dependent on her captain, Christie Schneider, to be an influence on the young team, and will also enlist the help of team leader, Alyssa McAndrew.

Helt is in her 18^th year at Bucknell and is looking forward to focusing her attention on the women's team, after also serving as the men's coach from 2002 to 2013 when the tennis programs were consolidated. She holds the record for most wins in program history, with her overall women's record of 182-170.

Helt is ready to jump into the 2014-2015 season to learn more about the roles of her team.

“The beginning of the season is about gathering information and determining where these players are right now, physically and mentally, how they compare to each other in terms of skills, sorting out the top players, doubles players,” Helt said. “My expectations are that we go out and play hard the first weekend and that the team trusts the training they've done over the summer and at least find a starting point from here so that we may move forward with our work.”

Schneider and McAndrew are the only seniors on the team and they are looking to improve upon their numbers from last year. The team leaders are expected to guide the underclassmen and help them adjust to Bucknell tennis.

“We have a very short time frame in order to get ready for the first tournament,” Helt said. “It's a lot of information coming to the team at once, but that's tennis…that's competing and learning to handle all of that adversity and pressure, so I think the first weeks sort out who is ready to handle those adverse times.”

Last season, Schneider did not participate in the singles lineup, but has a career record of 17-28. This year, Helt thinks the captain will be able to excel in both singles and doubles.

“Christie's been in and out of the lineup, but when she's in, she's effective. This year, she will challenge for a spot in the top six, possibly even in doubles. I know she will embrace any position she is in as captain.”

Helt says that Schneider is perfect as team captain because she leads by example for the young team, doing 'all the right things, on and off the court.' She commends Schneider and McAndrew for having the leadership qualities that will help the team succeed.

“Team leaders are our older players who are held to a bit of a higher standard when it comes to leadership. It's an extra set of eyes, and a player that our younger players can look up to as another mentor. Alyssa and Christie fall into that category. We hold leadership qualities very, very high.”

Last season's standout star, Maria Cioffi, is starting her junior year with the Bison. Cioffi holds an overall singles record of 43-18, which includes a nine-match winning streak in duals. She and sophomore Michele Urbinati combined for a doubles record of 7-5. Cioffi is expected to kick her tennis game into high gear this season.

“Maria is a junior now, so I think that her goals should be much different than they've been in the past. It can't just be about going out and winning match after match, but about how she can get to that next level. She's expected to play number one at the top of our lineup.”

The other returning junior, Stephanie Pino, has an overall career record of 58-48 and is expected to make a big contribution to this season's statistics. In addition to Urbinati, returning sophomores include Jorie Fox, who is 12-9 in her singles career, and Melissa Parks, who holds an 8-4 doubles record.

The four new freshmen listed on this year's roster are Emilie Bush, Lisa Jouravleva, Allison Lane and Madeline Melch. Coach Helt is still trying to determine where each player fits in the lineup, and is very optimistic about the young talent.

“Lisa is going to make an immediate impact at the top of our lineup,” Helt said. “It's huge to have a freshman come in and make that kind of impact, both in singles and doubles. I also think Madeline will make an impact near the top of the lineup. Emilie and Allison are very solid contributors as well. I think after giving them some time to build up for a year, they'll be at the top as well.”