Bucknell University Athletics
Update from Head Women's Tennis Coach Tammy Cecchini -- March 2023
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Dear Bucknell Family, Friends, and Supporters,
It is the end of February and we are practicing outside today! Though a short month, February is always our busiest with matches every single weekend.
We lost to St. Francis 3-4. This was a tough loss because we had not lost to them in a long time. We lost two matches in the third set, which could have gone either way. We cannot wait to play them at home next year.
The following week we traveled to the JTCC Club outside Washington, D.C. to play George Washington. While we lost 1-6, junior Tyne Miller solidly won her singles match 6-3, 6-3. This was a special match because Bucknell Hall-of-Famer Julia Diaz ’95 was in attendance and gave our pre-match talk. Julia is pictured below prior to our match with the team.
Fun fact about George Washington’s JTCC Club: Bucknell’s Maria Cioffi ’16 who is ranked #1 in career singles victories, #1 in career combined victories, was the 2013 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, and the 2014 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, is the Tennis for America VISTA Fellow at the JTCC Club. Unfortunately, we were not able to see her during the match.
The following day we took on and beat Washington & Lee, 6-3. This was the first time this season we won all three doubles matches and first-year Abby Platt won her first collegiate point!
On February 18 we drove north to upstate NY and beat St. Bonaventure 5-2. I think everyone on the St. Bonaventure team was 6’0” tall and we got aced a lot. However, we won the critical points time and time again, and that made the difference. We played smarter and threw in some aces ourselves. Another match where we won all three doubles matches. It was a good win.
We have got a winning streak going! The next day we bested Coppin State 6-0 in our first home match of the season. While Coppin State struggled in the match, the results ignited a conversation among us about compassion and kindness. Sometimes a tennis match is about much more than just tennis. Sometimes it is about life lessons.
This past weekend we stretched our winning streak to five in a row with wins over Siena and IUP, before falling to Findlay in our final match of the weekend. Now we turn our attention to our first Patriot League match of the spring when we host Loyola on March 3.
Even though our match vs. Rhode Island took place in January, I wanted to include a picture of us at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.. We had the whole museum to ourselves so we took our time learning about the sport we love so much. We saw the progression of tennis racquets, tennis balls, and clothes. We got to travel back to the year 1968 and through virtual reality watch the moment Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win the US Open. It was the first-time visit to the museum for most of us, and I’m glad we were able to share this experience together.
Looking ahead to March:
3rd: Match vs Loyola at home
5th: Match vs Marist at home
7th: Annual Pacer Test Competition vs. Football
11th: Spring trip to Charleston, SC
12th: Match vs College of Charleston
13th: Match vs South Carolina State
15th: Match vs Charleston Southern
26th: Match vs Navy at home
28th: One Herd One Day 24-Hour Giving Challenge
Please let me know any places we need to visit while in Charleston!
The team is doing well. All eight are healthy, excelling in the classroom, fighting hard on the tennis court, and enjoying this time together. I really appreciate the responses I have received from my newsletter. I am always happy to hear from you and love hearing about your time at Bucknell.
On behalf of the program, I would like to remind everyone that a very important day is coming later this month. On March 28-29, we will once again be in a battle with all the other athletic and recreation programs at Bucknell during the One Herd One Day giving challenge. The event has been critical in terms of raising funds for the program, and this year we hope women’s tennis can set new donor and dollar goals! In 2016 we established high-water marks in both those categories, with 142 donors and $21,899 raised. Please help us spread the word to family and friends, and if you are able, support the young women in the program that day.
Thank you for your continued support, both on and off the court, it means a lot to us.
Tammy
Tammy Cecchini
Head Women's Tennis Coach
Bucknell University
tammy.cecchini@bucknell.edu
Past Newsletters:
Bison Club support is the driving force behind Bucknell Athletics. Your donations directly impact the holistic development of student-athletes from 27 Division I varsity programs who are building a foundation at Bucknell to become leaders and difference-makers around the globe. Make your gift online, or call 570-577-1771 to support your favorite Bison team today.
It is the end of February and we are practicing outside today! Though a short month, February is always our busiest with matches every single weekend.
We lost to St. Francis 3-4. This was a tough loss because we had not lost to them in a long time. We lost two matches in the third set, which could have gone either way. We cannot wait to play them at home next year.
The following week we traveled to the JTCC Club outside Washington, D.C. to play George Washington. While we lost 1-6, junior Tyne Miller solidly won her singles match 6-3, 6-3. This was a special match because Bucknell Hall-of-Famer Julia Diaz ’95 was in attendance and gave our pre-match talk. Julia is pictured below prior to our match with the team.
Fun fact about George Washington’s JTCC Club: Bucknell’s Maria Cioffi ’16 who is ranked #1 in career singles victories, #1 in career combined victories, was the 2013 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, and the 2014 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, is the Tennis for America VISTA Fellow at the JTCC Club. Unfortunately, we were not able to see her during the match.
The following day we took on and beat Washington & Lee, 6-3. This was the first time this season we won all three doubles matches and first-year Abby Platt won her first collegiate point!
On February 18 we drove north to upstate NY and beat St. Bonaventure 5-2. I think everyone on the St. Bonaventure team was 6’0” tall and we got aced a lot. However, we won the critical points time and time again, and that made the difference. We played smarter and threw in some aces ourselves. Another match where we won all three doubles matches. It was a good win.
We have got a winning streak going! The next day we bested Coppin State 6-0 in our first home match of the season. While Coppin State struggled in the match, the results ignited a conversation among us about compassion and kindness. Sometimes a tennis match is about much more than just tennis. Sometimes it is about life lessons.
This past weekend we stretched our winning streak to five in a row with wins over Siena and IUP, before falling to Findlay in our final match of the weekend. Now we turn our attention to our first Patriot League match of the spring when we host Loyola on March 3.
Even though our match vs. Rhode Island took place in January, I wanted to include a picture of us at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.. We had the whole museum to ourselves so we took our time learning about the sport we love so much. We saw the progression of tennis racquets, tennis balls, and clothes. We got to travel back to the year 1968 and through virtual reality watch the moment Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win the US Open. It was the first-time visit to the museum for most of us, and I’m glad we were able to share this experience together.
Looking ahead to March:
3rd: Match vs Loyola at home
5th: Match vs Marist at home
7th: Annual Pacer Test Competition vs. Football
11th: Spring trip to Charleston, SC
12th: Match vs College of Charleston
13th: Match vs South Carolina State
15th: Match vs Charleston Southern
26th: Match vs Navy at home
28th: One Herd One Day 24-Hour Giving Challenge
Please let me know any places we need to visit while in Charleston!
The team is doing well. All eight are healthy, excelling in the classroom, fighting hard on the tennis court, and enjoying this time together. I really appreciate the responses I have received from my newsletter. I am always happy to hear from you and love hearing about your time at Bucknell.
On behalf of the program, I would like to remind everyone that a very important day is coming later this month. On March 28-29, we will once again be in a battle with all the other athletic and recreation programs at Bucknell during the One Herd One Day giving challenge. The event has been critical in terms of raising funds for the program, and this year we hope women’s tennis can set new donor and dollar goals! In 2016 we established high-water marks in both those categories, with 142 donors and $21,899 raised. Please help us spread the word to family and friends, and if you are able, support the young women in the program that day.
Thank you for your continued support, both on and off the court, it means a lot to us.
Tammy
Tammy Cecchini
Head Women's Tennis Coach
Bucknell University
tammy.cecchini@bucknell.edu
Past Newsletters:
Bison Club support is the driving force behind Bucknell Athletics. Your donations directly impact the holistic development of student-athletes from 27 Division I varsity programs who are building a foundation at Bucknell to become leaders and difference-makers around the globe. Make your gift online, or call 570-577-1771 to support your favorite Bison team today.