April 10, 2011
QUEENS, N.Y. - In a rematch of last year's thrilling America East title match, the Boston University women's tennis team dropped a 4-3 decision to Binghamton on Sunday morning at St. John's University. Dropping its third one-point contest of the season, the Terriers fall to 10-7, while the Bearcats improve to 9-8.
BU swept through doubles but only won two singles matches in the loss. The Terriers dropped two contests in three sets and lost another due to injury.
The defeat marks the program's first-ever loss in America East action dating back to the addition of the sport to the conference in 1989. The two teams have faced off in six of the last eight America East Championship matches and will have the opportunity to meet up again at Yale between April 29 - May 1.
BU has won 21 of the 22 league titles but only failed to win in 1993 because of a decision to compete in the ECAC tournament that season. Last year, six-time runner-up Binghamton came awfully close to stopping the Terriers' reign, but the championship's Most Outstanding Player Petra Santini won her final three games after facing a break point in the third set for the 4-3 team victory.
Trying to overcome injuries for the second consecutive season in search of the program's 13th-straight NCAA berth, the Terriers entered Sunday's match without the services of Santini. They suffered another setback when they had to drop a singles point at No. 2 due to sophomore Vivien Laszloffy retiring after she won the first set and led early in the second.
Junior Stefanie Nunic continued to prove she's one of the region's best. After teaming with Laszloffy in an 8-5 victory at No. 1 doubles, she rallied from a set down to defeat Anna Edelman, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the top singles spot. Last fall, Edelmann won the 'A' Singles crown at the USTA National Tennis Center Invitational and finished runner-up at the ITA East Regional Championships.
Freshman Amelia Martinez won the other singles point with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Emma Leibowicz in the No. 6 slot. Sophomore Jessi Linero and freshman Leonie-Charlotte Athanasiadis both played hard-fought matches but were unable to pull out the third set.
The Terriers will next conclude the regular season with a quick trip over to No. 46 Boston College on Tuesday, April 12, at 2:30 p.m.
Binghamton - 4, Boston University - 3
Singles
1) Stefanie Nunic (BU) def. Anna Edelman (BING): 1-6, 6-2, 6-2
2) Lauren Bates (BING) def. Vivien Laszloffy (BU): 4-6, 0-1 (ret.)
3) Yulia Smirnova (BING) def. Leonie-Charlotte Athanasiadis (BU): 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
4) Jillian Santos (BING) def. Monika Mical (BU): 6-4, 6-0
5) Marina Bykovskaya (BING) def. Jessi Linero (BU): 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
6) Amelia Martinez (BU) def. Emma Leibowicz (BING): 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
1) Nunic/Laszloffy (BU) def. Edelman/Bates (BING): 8-5
2) Athanasiadis/Linero (BU) def. Santos/Smirnova (BING): 8-3
3) Mical / Vanessa Steiner (BU) def. Bykovskaya/Leibowicz (BING): 8-6
