Women's Tennis Opens Play at Saint Joseph's on Friday

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell women's tennis is back in action Friday as it opens three days of competition at the Saint Joseph's Invitational. The seven-team event kicks off with doubles play at 2 p.m., while singles competition begins Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

Joining Bucknell at the event will be Saint Joseph's, Delaware, George Washington, La Salle, Loyola (Md.) and Norfolk State. The Bison return to play in the tournament for the first time since 2012.

Current senior captains Maria Cioffi and Stephanie Pino both won matches as freshmen the last time Bucknell competed at Saint Joseph's. Cioffi won her first two matches to advance to the semifinals of Flight 2 and teamed with Elena Vidrascu to make the semifinal of the Flight 1 doubles bracket. Pino won her first match in Flight 4 to make the quarterfinal round.

The Bison are coming off a solid showing at the season-opening Bucknell Tournament. Cioffi and Melissa Parks won the Flight B doubles title. Cioffi will play with Pino on the opposite side of the bracket as Lisa Jouravleva and Michele Urbinati in Flight 1 at Saint Joseph's. Parks will team with Emilie Bush in Flight 2. The pair will share a bracket with teammates Lauren Fishbein and Mishi Papich.

Bucknell had four players make the semifinals in singles at the Bucknell Tournament. The group included Cioffi and Jouravleva, who will compete in Flight 1 this weekend, and Papich and Danielle Gannon, who will compete in Flight 2 and Flight 4, respectively.

Up next for Bucknell after the Saint Joseph's Invitational will be the Bison Invite on Sept. 25-26 at the Bucknell Tennis Courts.