Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Tennis Opens 2016 Season with Two Matches this Weekend
2/18/2016 11:52:00 PM | Women's Tennis
LEWISBURG, Pa. – After having its first match of the season postponed nearly two weeks ago, the Bucknell women's tennis team will finally get the chance to start its 2016 spring season when it goes on the road for a pair of matches this weekend. The Bison will open play at Youngstown State on Friday at 7 p.m., and will play Saint Francis in Monroeville, Pennsylvania on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Bucknell was picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, finishing with 69 points. The Bison were picked just behind Lehigh with 77 points and one spot ahead of Loyola with 64. Boston University was the unanimous pick to repeat as conference champion with 16 first-place votes, while Army West Point was voted second and received the remaining two first-place votes.
“We have a lot of talent and we have a lot more depth than we have had in the past,” said Bucknell head coach Rebecca Helt. “We want to stay healthy, work as hard as we can every day and we want to do way better in the Patriot League. We want to get to the top where we should be.”
The Bison posted a pair of Patriot League wins with victories over Colgate and Lafayette during the regular season, before entering the conference tournament as the seventh seed. There they were matched up with second-seeded Boston University, which went on to win the league title.
Senior Maria Cioffi again proved to be one of, if not the best player in the Patriot League last season. She came up just short of winning the league's Player of the Year honor, but was the only player to finish unbeaten in league play with a perfect 6-0 record. She did not have a completed match against Boston's Johanna Hyoty, who won the Player of the Year award, but she did beat Army West Point's Carolyn Pitman, who handed Hyoty her lone loss in league play.
Cioffi will be one of two team captains for the Bison, joining senior Stephanie Pino. Cioffi was 22-11 overall last season, including an 11-7 mark in the spring. She went 9-2 in tournaments this past fall. Cioffi and Pino were also the team's top pair in doubles, going 9-3.They were 5-1 in the fall and 4-2 in the spring.
Sophomore Lisa Jouravleva returns after an outstanding rookie season playing at the No. 2 spot. She went 21-7 overall, including a 13-7 mark in dual competition. She also posted a winning record of 3-2 in Patriot League matches. Jouravleva stepped in to the top spot for a pair of matches, going 1-1, but was an impressive 12-6 at No. 2 singles.
Emilie Bush gave the Bison three players with a winning record in the fall and spring seasons combined, going 7-5 while playing in the fall tournaments. Michele Urbinati had a winning record of 5-4 during the spring while playing third through fifth singles.
The Bison will open with a Youngstown State team that has already played eight matches, posting a record of 1-7. The Penguins' lone win came over Southern Utah while playing in Las Vegas, Nevada. Friday's match, which will be held at the Boardman Tennis Center, is the first ever meeting between Bucknell and Youngstown State.
Saint Francis is also well into its season, posting a 1-6 record through seven matches. The Red Flash were 6-1 winners over Lafayette, but also lost to two Patriot League schools in Navy and Lehigh. Bucknell lost 4-2 to Saint Francis last season. Cioffi and Jouravleva had singles wins for the Bison.
Players Mentioned
