University at Buffalo
Binghamton
Bulls Bounce Binghamton at Home, 5-2
3/3/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's tennis team claimed its first home win of the season with an impressive 5-2 victory over SUNY rival Binghamton on Saturday afternoon at the Miller Tennis Center.
The win was the Bulls second in their last three matches and improved their overall record to 2-4, while Binghamton fell to 4-6 on the season.
The Bulls claimed the doubles point in emphatic fashion. Sophomore Marta Stoyanova and junior Tammy Markovic, playing first doubles for the first time, raced out to a 7-2 lead and then held on for an 8-6 victory.
At second doubles, sophomores Tanvi Shah and Miranda Podlas fell behind 3-0 early and then won eight of the next nine games to claim an 8-4 victory. At third doubles, sophomore Anamaria Candanoza and senior Kira Golenko also won by an 8-4 score.
It marked the third straight match that the Bulls had taken the doubles point. Said head coach Kathy Twist, "the major thing with doubles is trying to finish at the net and we are doing a better job with that."
The Bulls won four of the six singles matches, buoyed by terrific performances at No. 1 and No. 2 singles by sophomores Tanvi Shah and Marta Stoyanova. Shah defeated Jillian Santos, 6-2, 6-1, while Stoyanova was even more impressive at No. 2, claiming a 6-2, 6-0 win over Jennifer Fridman.
Also claiming singles wins for the Bulls were Miranda Podlas at No. 5 (6-3, 6-4) and Anamaria Candanoza at No. 6 by a 6-4, 6-3 score.
Twist is pleased with her team's improvement as the Bulls were coming off a successful weekend in Philadelphia that saw them defeat Ivy League member Penn last week.
"From the time we began the semester until now we have made huge strides," said Twist. "This team is very coachable, they keep getting better each week and when you start getting the results we have gotten recently that affirms the work that they are doing.
"We have been working on resiliency and the team is responding," said Twist. "The peaks and valleys are not as severe, they are a lot more steady and a lot more resilient. That mental flexibility to be able to stick in the match is crucial and they are getting very good at that."
The Bulls are now off until a spring break trip the week of March 12 in Hilton Head, SC where Buffalo will play three dual matches.
The results:
DOUBLES
No. 1 Marta Stoyanova/Tammy Markovic (UB) def. Jillian Santos/Missy Edelblum, 8-6
No. 2 Tanvi Shah/Miranda Podlas (UB) def. Marina Bykovskaya/Katherine Medianik, 8-4
No. 3 Kira Golenko/Anamaria Candanova (UB) def. Jennifer Fridman/Taylor Hollander, 8-4
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
SINGLES
No. 1 Shah (UB) def. Santos, 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 Stoyanova (UB) def. Fridman, 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 Bykovskaya (BU) def. Markovic, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 10-4
No. 4 Hollander (BU) def. Golenko 6-1, 6-3
No. 5 Podlas (UB) def. Medianik, 6-3, 6-4
No. 6 Candanoza def. Edelblum 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 1, 6, 5, 4, 3
