Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
UIC
Falcons Douse Flames, 6-1
February 09, 2008 | Women's Tennis
Feb. 9, 2008
TOLEDO, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - The Bowling Green State University tennis team improved to a perfect 4-0 in dual-match play, recording a 6-1 win over the visiting University of Illinois at Chicago Saturday (Feb. 9). The non-conference match was held at the Shadow Valley Tennis Club in Toledo.
BGSU's 4-0 start is the team's best in eight years.
"This was a great win for us," said BGSU coach Penny Dean. "UIC is a perennial power in the Horizon League, and today's match was close all the way, despite the 6-1 score.
"We got off to a good start in doubles. Jenna (Nussbaum) and (Andrea) Volle were lights out at the second flight, and our one and three teams rallied back for wins to give us the doubles point.
"That set the tone for the singles play, where we had a number of close matches, particularly at the top half of the lineup. But, we did a great job of battling through and getting some wins."
In doubles, as mentioned, the Falcons won at all three flights. The second-flight team of senior co-captains Nussbaum and Volle won by a commanding 8-1 score, while the other two teams rallied for wins.
The top-flight team of junior Kelsey Jakupcin and freshman Christine Chiricosta picked up an 8-6 win, while the sophomore duo of Katia Babina and Samantha Kintzel triumphed by an 8-5 outcome at the third flight.
In singles play, both Jakupcin and Babina saw their matches deadlocked after two sets, and both Falcons played tightly-contested super-tiebreakers. Jakupcin defeated UIC's Ilinca Cristecu by an 11-9 count in their third 'set' at flight number one. Babina was narrowly defeated, 10-8, by Kristen McPhillips at the third flight.
All of the other Falcon singles competitors picked up wins over the Flames. Chiricosta won her first set at the second flight, and was leading the second set when her opponent, Lubica Nadasska, was forced to retire.
Kintzel (flight four), Volle (five) and junior Stefanie Menoff (six) all were winners in their singles flights. The Falcons will look to ride the momentum of the UIC match into a Sunday (Feb. 10) dual vs. Indiana State University. That match will begin at 12:30 p.m. at Shadow Valley.
FALCON TENNIS NOTES
* BGSU now leads the all-time series with UIC by a 10-5 count, and the Falcons now have won five consecutive matches from the Flames.
* UIC, members of the Horizon League, have won 11 consecutive conference titles and made nine NCAA Tournament appearances ... UIC has won 93-straight league dual matches, last losing to a conference foe on April 21, 1996.
* BGSU's 4-0 start to the season is the Falcons' best since the 1999-2000 team won the first four dual matches of the year ... BGSU also went 4-0 to begin the 1992-93 campaign ... the best start in school history is 10-0, accomplished by the Janet Parks-coached 1973-74 team.
* BGSU now has won 11 consecutive dual matches at Shadow Valley, and the team is 25-1 at the facility over the last three-plus years ... BG went 6-0 at Shadow Valley in the 2004-05 season, 8-1 in '05-06 and a perfect 8-0 last year before beginning this season with a 3-0 mark at the venue.
* The Falcons now have won 22-straight non-conference dual matches at Shadow Valley ... BGSU's last loss to a non-MAC foe came over four years ago, vs. DePaul on Feb. 6, 2004.
BOWLING GREEN 6, UIC 1
Sat., Feb. 9, 2008 - Shadow Valley; Toledo
SINGLES
1 - Kelsey Jakupcin (BGSU) def. Ilinca Cristescu 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (11-9)
2 - Christine Chiricosta (BGSU) def. Lubica Nadasska 7-5, 2-0 retired
3 - Kristen McPhillips (UIC) def. Katia Babina 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-8)
4 - Samantha Kintzel (BGSU) def. Suzanna Gracanin 6-3, 6-1
5 - Andrea Volle (BGSU) def. Grace Gill-Morlis 6-4, 6-4
6 - Stefanie Menoff (BGSU) def. Amy Jellish 6-1, 6-3
# - Jenna Nussbaum (BGSU) def. Jenna Reisch 8-5
# - Libby Harrison (BGSU) def. Ulrikke von Ubisch 9-8 (8-6)
DOUBLES
1 - Chiricosta/Jakupcin (BGSU) def. Nadasska/McPhillips 8-6
2 - Nussbaum/Volle (BGSU) def. Cristescu/Gracanin 8-1
3 - Babina/Kintzel (BGSU) def. Gill-Morlis/Jenna Reisch 8-5
# - Harrison/Menoff (BGSU) def. Jamie Reisch/von Ubisch 8-2
# exhibition; not included in match scoring
