Women's Tennis Nabs Second Spot in MAC Coaches Poll

Kathy Twist

BUFFALO, NY – Hot on the heels of last year's incredible season that saw the University at Buffalo women's tennis team reach the Mid-American Conference championship match for the first time in school history, the league's coaches have selected the Bulls to place second in 2007, according to the league's preseason poll. The second position is the highest spot the women's tennis team has placed in the MAC's poll.

The Bulls received 70 total votes and two first-place nods to finish one point behind Western Michigan (71) in the closest vote in league history. Western Michigan picked up six first-place votes while Miami, slated third by the coaches, earned the remaining first-place vote. Western Michigan won the regular season and MAC Championship Tournament titles last season as the Broncos defeated the Bulls, 4-0, at last year's final in Hamilton, OH.

Head coach Kathy Twist, selected as the MAC Coach of the Year in 2006, returns a veteran lineup for the spring with six upperclassmen who have all seen significant time in both singles and doubles play during their careers with the Bulls as well as some promising freshmen. Leading the squad are a pair of first team All-MAC honorees in junior Andreea Novaceanu (Bucharest, Romania/Emil Racovita) and senior Miglena Nenova (Rousse, Bulgaria/Eurointellect). Both players have also earned the MAC's Freshman of the Year award during the careers.

Novaceanu got off to a strong start in the fall tournament season going 9-2 in singles play and reaching the quarterfinals of the ITA Regional Championships in October, the farthest any UB tennis player, men’s or women’s, had advanced at the prestigious Division I competition. Novaceanu also earned attention from the collegiate tennis community as she enters the spring ranked number 22 in the current East Regional poll conducted by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and sportswear company Fila.

During the fall, junior Smaranda Stan (Stantu Gheorghe, Romania/Economic) led the Bulls with a 10-1 record in singles play. Stan is expected to see action as UB's number four or five player in the dual-meet lineup for this spring. Freshman Denise Harijanto (Jakarta, Indonesia) was 8-3 in the fall semester.

The Bulls, currently 2-0 in dual-meet play, travel to Cleveland State for a match on Sunday afternoon. The home slate begins on February 24 against Duquesne. The MAC regular season gets underway on March 23 with UB traveling to Ball State. The league tournament is slated for April 26-29 at Toledo.