Bulls Rally Past Eastern Michigan, 5-2

UB women's tennis breaks three-match losing string

Miglena Nenova

WILLIAMSVILLE, NY – The University at Buffalo women’s tennis team snapped a three-match losing streak with a 5-2 victory over visiting Eastern Michigan in Mid-American Conference action at the Village Glen Tennis Center. The Bulls are now 9-4 overall and 1-2 in the MAC while the Eagles fall to 7-8 and 2-2 in league play.

UB opened play by scoring the double point. The Bulls clinched the point as the number one team of Kristen Ortman (Amherst, NY/Amherst) and Miglena Nenova (Rousse, Bulgaria/Eurointellect) rallied to win a 7-5 tiebreaker over Vanessa Frankowski and Yana Parfenyuk. UB trailed the tiebreaker 4-2 at the changeover before coming back to take five of the next six points. The Bulls had led the match 6-0 before EMU picked up some steam and forced the breaker.

The Bulls and Eagles split the other two doubles matches. UB's number two team of Andreea Novaceanu (Bucharest, Romania/Emil Racovita) and Tina Jacob (Singapore/Raffles JC) knocked off Elizabeth Syrova and Aditi Krishnan, 8-4. The number three team of Smaranda Stan (Stantu Gheorghe, Romania/Economic) and Katrin Fischer (Ternitz, Austria/Borg) lost to Laura Fernandez and Flavia Micati by an 8-3 count.

The singles matches were tight throughout the lineup with three matches going the full three-set distance. With UB leading 3-2, the Bulls clinched the match as Nenova scored a victory over Krishnan in the number two contest. Nenova walked off the court with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over her opponent to give the Bulls the needed fourth point to claim the overall victory.

Andreea Novaceanu

Other singles victories for the Bulls included Novaceanu, at number one, downing Syrova, 6-2, 7-5, for her ninth straight singles win and extending her school record single-season victory total to 22. At number five, Stan knocked Fernandez in three sets, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 and Jacob cruised past Micati, 6-4, 6-1, in the number six match.

Natalie Dean (Feilding, New Zealand/Palmerston North) fell in a three-set contest to Frankowski, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, in the number three match. Fischer, playing number five, was decisioned by Parfenyuk in a grueling two-setter, 6-2, 7-5.

The Bulls conclude the homestand with a 2:00 pm contest with MAC rival Toledo at the Village Glen.

Buffalo 5, Eastern Michigan 2

Doubles

1 Kristen Ortman/Miglena Nenova (UB) d. Vanessa Frankowski/Yana Parfenyuk (EMU), 9-8 (5)

2 Andreea Novaceanu/Tina Jacob (UB) d. Elizabeth Syrova/Aditi Krishnan (EMU), 8-4

3 Laura Fernandez/Flavia Micati (EMU) d. Smaranda Stan/Katrin Fischer (UB), 8-3

Order of finish: 2 3 1

Singles

1 Andreea Novaceanu (UB) d. Elizabeth Syrova (EMU), 6-2, 7-5

2 Miglena Nenova (UB) d. Aditi Krishnan (EMU), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2

3 Vanessa Frankowski (EMU) d. Natalie Dean (UB), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4

4 Yana Parfenyuk (EMU) d. Katrin Fischer (UB), 6-2, 7-5

5 Smaranda Stan (UB) d. Laura Fernandez (EMU), 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4

6 Tina Jacob (UB) d. Flavia Micati (EMU), 6-4, 6-1

Order of finish: 6 1 3 4 2 5

04/07/2006