Bulls Advance With Thrilling 4-3 Win Over Toledo

Bulls take four of the six singles matches

Smaranda Stan

BUFFALO, NY- The University at Buffalo women’s tennis team pulled off a remarkable come from behind victory in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Mid-American Conference Championships, defeating Toledo, 4-3, Friday afternoon at the Ellicott Tennis Courts. Down 3-2 in the match, UB stormed back to win the final two singles matches and claim the victory.

Toledo took the doubles point as they claimed 8-4 wins at both first and second doubles. UB’s senior duo of Andreea Novaceanu (Bucharest, Romania/Emil Racovita) and Tina Jacob (Singapore/Raffles JC) were leading in their match, 7-4, when it was abandoned.

In singles play, Toledo took a 2-0 lead as it claimed a win at second singles, but UB stormed back with it first two victories. Freshman Diana Popescu (Alexandria, Romania/AL. I. Cuza) defeated Maha Guirguis, 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 at third singles and Jacob defeated Jessica Azoulay, 6-3, 6-1 at sixth singles. Toledo was able to reclaim the lead at 3-2 with a win at fifth singles, but the Bulls hung tough needing wins in its final two matches. Novaceanu began the comeback as she defeated Martina Wodzinski, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 at first singles. Novaceanu was down 5-2 in the second set before charging back and forcing a tiebreaker. That victory knotted the match up at 3-3 with just the fourth singles match to be completed. Junior Smaranda Stan (Stantu Gheorghe, Romania/Economic) clinched the win for the Bulls as she defeated Jenny Belsky, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in that pivotal fourth singles match.

Andreea Novaceanu

This was the third straight year that the Bulls have won their MAC Quarterfinal match and will meet Miami in the semifinals tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 pm. The RedHawks reached the semis by defeating Ball State, 5-0. In the other semifinal, the number one seed, Western Michigan, will face Bowling Green. The Broncos defeated Northern Illinois this morning, while the Falcons won a hard-fought match against Eastern Michigan. That semifinal will be first and will start at 10:00 am. The matches are set to be played at the Ellicott Tennis Center.

No. 6 Buffalo 4, No. 3 Toledo, 3

Doubles
1. Martina Wodzinski/Maha Guirguis (UT) def. Diana Popescu/Denise Harijanto (UB), 8-4
2. Ashley Frey/Nadia Zoubareva (UT) def. Diana Toia/Smaranda Stan (UB), 8-4
3. Tina Jacob/Andreea Novaceanu (UB) led Jenny Belsky/Sarah Horning (UT), 7-4

Singles
1. Andreea Novaceanu (UB) def. Martina Wodzinski (UT), 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4
2. Ashley Frey (UT) def. Denise Harijanto (UB), 6-1, 6-4
3. Diana Popescu (UB) def. Maha Guirguis (UT), 6-1, 1-6, 6-2
4. Smaranda Stan (UB) def. Jenny Belsky (UT), 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
5. Nadia Zoubareva (UT) def Diana Toia (UB), 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
6. Tina Jacob (UB) def. Jessica Azoulay (UT), 6-3, 6-1

04/25/2008