Bulls Open Conference Play With 7-0 Victory

Bulls win all six singles matches in straight sets

Tina Jacob

DEKALB, IL- The University at Buffalo women’s tennis team opened Mid-American Conference play on Friday afternoon with a 7-0 victory over Northern Illinois. This is the second straight year that UB has started off conference play with a victory. The Bulls are currently 6-4 on the season and 1-0 in the MAC.

The Bulls took the doubles point by sweeping all three matches as two ended in the tiebreaker. UB’s senior duo of Andreea Novaceanu (Bucharest, Romania/Emil Racovita) and Tina Jacob (Singapore/Raffles JC), playing third doubles, were the first to finish their match as they defeated Dora Delgadillo and Jenny Edner, 8-2. At first doubles the Bulls took their match, 9-8 (4), as Denise Harijanto (Jakarta, Indonesia) and Diana Popescu (Alexandria, Romania/AL. I. Cuza) defeated Nao Umemura and Brooke Forsberg. The Bulls also used the tiebreaker at second doubles as Smaranda Stan (Stantu Gheorghe, Romania/Economic) and Diana Toia (Rochester, NY/Brighton) defeated Kathryn Friedlund and Lilian Asuaje, 9-8 (3).

Andreea Novaceanu

In singles play, the Bulls took all six matches in straight sets. Novaceanu defeated Umemura, 6-3, 6-1, while Harijanto defeated Asuaje at second singles, 6-2, 6-1. At third singles, Popescu defeated Friedlund, 6-0, 7-6 (4), while Stan won her fourth singles match against Forsberg, 6-3, 6-4. Toia played fifth singles as she defeated Edner, 7-6 (2), 6-3 and Jacob finished the job at sixth singles with a 6-0, 6-3 win against Delgadillo.

The Bulls will be back in action next Friday as they host Ball State. The match with the Cardinals is set to begin at 1:00 pm.

Buffalo 7, Northern Illinois 0

Doubles
1. Diana Popescu/Denise Harijanto (UB) def. Nao Umemura/Brooke Forsberg (NIU) 9-8 (4)
2. Smaranda Stan/Diana Toia (UB) def. Kathryn Friedlund/Lilian Asuaje (NIU) 9-8 (3)
3. Andreea Novaceanu/Tina Jacob (UB) def. Dora Delgadillo/Jenny Edner (NIU) 8-2

Singles
1. Andreea Novaceanu (UB) def. Nao Umemura (NIU) 6-3, 6-1
2. Denise Harijanto (UB) def. Lilian Asuaje (NIU), 6-2, 6-1
3. Diana Popescu (UB) def. Kathryn Friedlund (NIU) 6-0, 7-6 (4)
4. Smaranda Stan (UB) def. Brooke Forsberg (NIU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Diana Toia (UB) def. Jenny Edner (NIU) 7-6 (2), 6-3
6. Tina Jacob (UB) def. Dora Delgadillo (NIU) 6-0, 6-3

Ex Stephanie Okuma (NIU) def. Anna Subenkova (UB), 8-5

03/21/2008