Women's Tennis Hosts St. Bonaventure, Travels to Penn State

Saturday, March 5

South Williamsport, Pa.

2 p.m.

Bucknell University

St. Bonaventure

Photo by: Lianne Garrahan

Women's Tennis Hosts St. Bonaventure, Travels to Penn State

3/1/2022 12:35:00 PM | Women's Tennis

St. Bonaventure (2-9, 0-1 A10) vs. Bucknell (7-2, 0-0 PL)
When: Saturday, March 5 – 2 p.m.
Where: Central PA Tennis Center – South Williamsport, Pa.

Bucknell (7-2, 0-0 PL) vs. Penn State (4-4, 0-0 Big Ten)
When: Sunday, March 6 – 5 p.m.
Where: Sarni Tennis Center – University Park, Pa.

Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 7-2 (0-0 PL) following their 6-1 win over Saint Francis on Feb. 26 and their 4-3 setback to IUP on Feb. 27.
• With a triumph over St. Bonaventure on March 5, Bucknell will win at least eight of its first 10 matches for the second time in four seasons; in 2019-20, the Bison went 9-1 to begin dual match action.
• Bucknell went 5-5 (2-3 PL) in the spring of 2021, most notably scoring a 4-2 victory over rival Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals.
• The Bison posted a 6-3 (0-0 PL) record during their 2019-20 season that was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They won five of their final six matches that season, with two coming by 7-0 margins.
• Bucknell is captained by senior Daniela Bellini, a two-time All-Patriot League selection.
• The Bison lost three student-athletes to graduation following the 2021 spring season, including two-time All-Patriot League performer Cayla Koch.
• Bucknell welcomed three newcomers ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, including one international student-athlete.
• Head coach Tammy Cecchini is in her third season at the helm of the program.
• Cecchini was previously the head coach at Valparaiso from 2015 to 2018; she spent the 2014-15 season with Valpo as an assistant coach.

Category Leaders
• Overall Singles Wins: Whitney King (15)
• Dual Match Singles Wins: Anna Lajos (8)
• PL Dual Match Singles Wins: N/A
• Overall Doubles Wins: Daniela Bellini/Whitney King (16)
• Dual Match Doubles Wins: Daniela Bellini/Whitney King (8)
• PL Dual Match Doubles Wins: N/A

St. Bonaventure at a Glance
• St. Bonaventure is currently 2-9 (0-1 A10) following its 7-0 blanking of Binghamton on Feb. 25 and its 5-2 win over Mercyhurst on Feb. 27.
• The Bonnies went 5-8 (0-2 A10) during their abbreviated 2020-21 season. They fell to Saint Louis in the first round of that season's Atlantic 10 Tournament.
• St. Bonaventure did not return its lone Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection from 2021.
• Last season, the Bison swept the Bonnies, 7-0. Daniela Bellini (No. 1), Tyne Miller (No. 3), Laurel Utterback (No. 5) and Kate Novak (No. 6) all picked up singles victories.

Penn State at a Glance
• Penn State is currently 4-4 (0-0 Big Ten) following its 4-0 shutout of Xavier on Feb. 12 and its 4-3 loss to Kentucky on Feb. 13.
• Before hosting Bucknell, the Nittany Lions will face Ohio State on March 4 and Penn earlier in the day on March 6.
• Penn State went 10-8 (9-7 Big Ten) in the spring of 2021, ultimately falling to Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament's opening round. The Nittany Lions' nine conference victories were their most since the 2014-15 campaign.
• Penn State returned eight players from the 2021 season, headlined by All-Big Ten honoree Gabby O'Gorman.
• The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series with the Bison, 6-0. All six of their previous matches occurred in University Park, Pa.
• This will be the programs' first meeting since 2014, a 6-1 Penn State victory. Melissa Parks, then a first year, accounted for Bucknell's singles win while Elena Vidrascu and Maria Cioffi were out to a 5-4 lead at first doubles when the Nittany Lions clinched the doubles point.
• Bison head coach Tammy Cecchini is a Penn State alumna. As a Nittany Lion, she played No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for three seasons. The two-year team captain was also named the 1991 Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year.

A Look Ahead
• The Bison travel to Hawaii for their spring break trip. They will play Chaminade (March 14 at 1 p.m. HST) and Hawaii twice (March 16 & 17 at 11 a.m. HST).