Bucknell University Athletics
Trio of Bison Look to Defend Titles at Season-Opening Women's Tennis Tournament
9/3/2015 3:57:00 PM | Women's Tennis
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Bucknell women's tennis team is set to begin the fall portion of its 2015-16 season this weekend at it welcomes Loyola (Md.), Mount St. Mary's, Colgate, Concordia and IUP for the Bucknell Quad Tournament. The three-day event begins at 2 p.m. on Friday at the Bucknell Tennis Courts.
Sophomore Madeline Melch is a returning champion of the season-opening event. She won the Flight B title with a 4-0 record. The clinching win came via a 6-1, 6-0 score over IUP's Rachel Wood. Senior Maria Cioffi advanced to the finals of the top flight before falling to Concordia's Costanza Mecchi in the championship match.
Cioffi did win a title, though. She teamed with fellow captain Stephanie Pino to go 4-0 in the lone doubles bracket. The pair defeated Concordia's Linda Eliasson and Stefanie Canals 8-3 in the finals.
Bucknell played four of the five teams scheduled to compete this weekend during the spring season last year. The Bison went 2-2 in those matches with wins over Mount St. Mary's and Colgate.
This weekend's event is the first of three home tournaments for Bucknell. The Bison will host the Bucknell Invite on Sept. 18-20 and the Bison invite on Sept. 25-26. Tournaments at Saint Joseph's and Mount St. Mary's, and the ITA Regional Championships in Lynchburg, Virginia are also on the schedule.
