Saturday, January 24
Youngstown, Ohio
2 p.m.
Bucknell University
at
Youngstown State
Women's Tennis Opens Spring Slate with Two-Match Weekend
1/20/2026 1:30:00 PM | Women's Tennis
LEWISBURG, Pa. — Bucknell women's tennis is opening its spring season with a packed road weekend that begins on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. against Youngstown State and ends with a Sunday match at 11 a.m.against IUP.
The Bison are coming off of a fall season that saw three invitationals, one dual match and two student-athletes (Abby Platt and Riley Jennings) in the Patriot League ITA Conference Masters Qualifiers. In the lone dual match of the fall season, the Bison defeated Millersville 5-2.
Bucknell (1-0) at Youngstown State (0-1)
When: Saturday, Jan. 24 — 2 p.m.
Where: Youngstown, Ohio
Bucknell (1-0) at IUP (0-1)
When: Sunday, Jan. 25 — 11 a.m.
Where: Indiana, Pa.
Bucknell's Last Time Out:
- Abby Platt won her singles match against Lehigh's Lena Dogadalski in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 on the opening day of the Patriot League qualifier for the ITA Conference Masters Championships before falling in her quarterfinal match.
- Riley Jennings had a first-round bye, but fell in straight sets in her round-of-16 singles match to Lehigh's Maggie Forkner.
- Platt and Jennings had a first-round bye in doubles play, but lost their quarterfinal doubles match to Navy's Nicole Fu and Olivia Fermo in a tight match that ended with a Midshipmen 8(7) - 7(3) victory.
- Platt faced Ellie Gyuro of Boston University in her quarterfinal match, but fell in two straight 6-2 sets.
Bucknell at a Glance
- At the ITA Conference Masters Championship, Abby Platt made it to the quarterfinal round, Riley Jennings was eliminated in the round-of-16 and the doubles group of Platt and Jennings lost in their quarterfinals match.
- Bucknell played in one dual match this fall with the Bison coming out on top of Millersville 5-2, winning all doubles matches and four-of-six singles matches.
- The Bison played three tournaments in the fall, one at home and two on the road. Bucknell tested out doubles teams in the fall tournaments in order to finalize the groups heading into the spring season.
- Bucknell women's tennis ended the 2024-25 season with a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Championships to Lehigh.
- The team landed two players on the All-Patriot League squad; Whitney King earned a first-team nod and Abby Platt earned second-team honors.
- Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Bison have a lot to restructure in their lineup after losing three integral players to graduation in Whitney King, Anna Lajos and Caroline Marcus, who were all in the lineup last season.
- Seniors Abby Platt and Mirra Manolov have been named captains for the 2025-26 season.
- Outside of Platt earning Second Team All-Patriot League last season, she has also found her way onto the record book ahead of her senior season. The Texas native currently ranks 11th in Bucknell history for career doubles victories (60), is tied for 27th in career singles victories (45), ranks 19th in career combined victories (105) and is tied for 10th in single-season doubles victories (22). Last season, Platt went 10-15 in the second spot for singles play. Platt and King were doubles partners and went 18-8 in the one spot. Platt has been doubles partners with King since she first arrived as a freshman in 2022 and will now be looking for a new partner to finish out her career.
- Last season, Manolov went 7-8 overall in singles on courts four and six and finished with an overall 5-3 record in doubles with four different partners.
- Overall, Bucknell returned seven players from last season, despite losing three of their regulars in the lineup. Platt and Manolov were the returning seniors to the squad. The Bison return two juniors to the squad from last season in Tori Allen and Jaycie Mair.
- Allen played across courts two, three and four last year. She went 10-14 overall in singles and 7-11 in doubles with five different partners. Mair competed across courts three, four and five in 2024-25. She went 10-14 in singles and 7-10 in doubles.
- At the sophomore level, Bucknell returned three athletes in Riley Jennings, Natalie Devraj and Cameron King.
- Riley Jennings had a solid freshman campaign as she went 11-3 overall in singles across courts four, five and six. The North Carolina native went undefeated in Patriot League singles with a 6-0 record and was undefeated in court six singles with a 9-0 record. Jennings finished 9-9 overall in doubles with a dual doubles record of 8-7 across courts two and three with three different partners. She ended the 2024-25 season on a seven-match singles winning streak.
- Devraj went 8-3 overall in singles across courts four, five and six. She finished 7-5 overall in doubles on court three with four different partners. Cameron King went 8-2 overall in singles across courts five and six. She finished 11-1 overall in doubles on across courts two and three with five different partners.
- The Bison welcomed a freshman class of three this fall; Summer Even-Esh, Katherine Purpura and Mariana Shulman.
- Even-Esh comes to Bucknell from New Jersey and was a three-time First-Team All-State and one-time Second Team All-State player at Manasquan High School. Individually, she went undefeated in the regular seasons of both 2023 and 2024 and was a two-time first singles Monmouth County Champion, four-time decision champion and four-time Central Jersey Group Two Semifinalist. Throughout high school, she had an overall record of 89-9.
- Purpura joined the Bison from California where she was a two-time league doubles player of the year and earned various awards from Orange County. She was a San Joaquin League Doubles Champion and two-time Orange Coast League Doubles Champion. Throughout high school she garnered over 100 career wins.
- Shulman came to Bucknell from Massachusetts where she was a two-time league MVP. She also was a GCL League Champion and two-time New England Sectional Champion.
Youngstown State at a Glance
- The Penguins opened their spring season on Saturday, Jan. 17 with a dual match at West Virginia. Youngstown State was shut out in the contest as West Virginia took a 7-0 victory in Morgantown.
- Hanna Telzynska leads the team in singles victories this season with seven.
- Two doubles groups, Lorena Cedeno and Lydia Foster as well as Line Greyling and Yeseniia Ovcharova lead the team in doubles win with four a piece.
IUP at a Glance
- The Crimson Hawks will open their spring contest against the Bison on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 11 a.m
- In the fall, IUP played one dual match against Bowling Green and fell 6-1. The lone point came from doubles play as Charliz Tabili and Isabelle Oikawa Torres along with Asel Calbay and Ifigenia Kafka, earned victories for the Crimson Hawks.
- IUP attended the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg this fall and went 13-5 on day one with Torres, Tabili and Le von Kozierowski all going undefeated. On day two, the Crimson Hawks went 11-3. Torress and Tabili finished the weekend undefeated and Kozierowski defeated the reigning PSAC Player of the Year in a singles match.
- Against the Bison in the invitational, Kozierowski defeated Riley Jennings in straight sets (6-2, 6-3). Hannah Beitat defeated Abby Platt in three sets (6-3, 4-6, 10-5). Charliz Tabili defeated Jaycie Mair and Devraj in three sets apiece. Ifigeneia Kafka defeated Mair in two sets and Torres defeated Kate Purpura in two sets.
- In the Bucknell Invitational, Tori Allen defeated Asel Calbay in two sets (6-0,6-4). Mariana Shulman defeated Beitat in two sets and Natalie Devraj defeated Ifigeneia Kafka in three sets. Mirra Manolov defeated Annemiek Sterk in two sets (6-4, 6-4).
- In doubles play at the Bucknell Invitational this fall, one of the two matches against IUP.
Up Next
Following a packed opening weekend, Bucknell women's tennis will play another two-match weekend slate. The Bison will face Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 30 at 9 a.m. and then host their first spring match of the season in Williamsport at the Central PA Tennis Center against Mount St. Mary's at 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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