Women's Tennis Hosts Marist and Villanova for Bucknell Invitational

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bison women's tennis team will compete in the second of its three home tournaments this weekend when its hosts the Bucknell Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Bucknell Tennis Courts. Villanova and Marist will join the Bison at the event.

Maria Cioffi and Michele Urbinati went a perfect 3-0, including a win over Villanova's Samantha Schafer and Victoria Martinez in the finals, to win the Fight A doubles title at this event last season. Both players will be in Flight A this year, but on opposite sides of the bracket as Cioffi teams with Melissa Parks and Urbinati plays with Lisa Jouravleva.

The Bison just narrowly missed adding a singles title last season. Jouravleva (Flight A), Madeline Melch (Flight B) and Emilie Bush (Flight D) all lost in the championship match of their respective flights. Jouravleva and Melch will compete in the same flights this season, while Bush makes the jump to Flight C.

Cioffi is coming off a singles title in Flight 1 of the Saint Joseph's Invitational, where she defeated Jouravleva in the finals. A rematch could be in the making this weekend as the two players start on opposite sides of an eight-player bracket. Cioffi opens against Martinez, while Jouravlevla will play Marist's Karly Pang.

Play begins at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.