Bucknell University
Mount St. Mary's
Women's Tennis Beats Mount St. Mary's 5-2 in Home Opener
3/18/2015 8:29:00 PM | Women's Tennis
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell women's tennis won back-to-back matches for the first time this season with a 5-2 win over Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday at the Bucknell Tennis Courts. The Bison, who improved to 3-9, played on their home courts for the first time this spring.
Bucknell easily clinched the first point with a sweep of the three doubles matches. Michele Urbinati and Lisa Jouravleva had the closest score, winning 8-4 at No. 2. Stephanie Pino and Maria Cioffi teamed up for an 8-2 victory at No. 1, while Alyssa McAndrew and Melissa Parks won by the same score at No. 3.
The match result was never in doubt as the Bison took the first four completed singles matches. Parks clinched the team's third win of the season with a 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 5.
Cioffi and Jouravleva dominated their opponents at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Cioffi was a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Erin Benefiel, while Jouravleva topped Kelly Smith 6-1, 6-1. Madeline Melch was the Bison's other winner in singles, beating Sruthi Kamprath 0-6, 6-2, 10-6 at No. 3
“It was great for the women to get the win in the home opener after a tough start to the season,” said Bucknell head coach Rebecca Helt. “For the most part, we just played steady and smart in windy conditions. Maria, Lisa and Melissa executed their shots and just played solid. Maddie had some difficulty adjusting to the windy conditions at first, but figured out a good strategy to take the win.”
Bucknell was scheduled to host Rider on Thursday, but the match has been canceled due to weather concerns. The Bison will travel to take on Saint Joseph's on Saturday at 1 p.m.
BUCKNELL 5, MOUNT ST. MARY'S 2
3-9, 0-0 PL
Lewisburg, Pa.
Doubles
1. Stephanie Pino/Maria Cioffi (BU) def. Jennifer Smith/Kelly Smith (MSM), 8-2
2. Michele Urbinati/Lisa Jouravleva (BU) def. Sruthi Kamprath/Cassandra Powell (MSM), 8-4
3. Alyssa McAndrew/Melissa Parks (BU) def. Erin Benefiel/Danielle Nguyen (MSM), 8-2
Order of Finish – 1, 3, 2
Singles
1. Maria Cioffi (BU) def. Erin Benefiel (MSM), 6-0, 6-0
2. Lisa Jouravleva (BU) def. Kelly Smith (MSM), 6-1, 6-1
3. Madeline Melch (BU) def. Sruthi Kamprath (MSM), 0-6, 6-2, (10-6)
4. Cassandra Powell (MSM) def. Stephanie Pino (BU), 4-6, 6-1, (10-6)
5. Melissa Parks (BU) def. Danielle Nguyen (MSM), 6-3, 6-1
6. Jennifer Smith (MSM) def. Alyssa McAndrew (BU), 7-6, 6-2
Order of Finish – 1, 2, 5, 3, 4, 6
Players Mentioned
