Bowling Green State University
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WESTERN MICHIGAN
Broncos Down BGSU, 4-0, to Advance to MAC Championship
April 26, 2008 | Women's Tennis
April 26, 2008
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Top-seeded Western Michigan University advanced to the title match of the Mid-American Conference Championships with a 4-0 win over the Bowling Green State University tennis team Saturday (April 26). The semifinal-round match was held at the Ellicott Tennis Facility.
It marked the second-straight year that the Falcons' season came to an end vs. WMU in the semifinal round.
Western, ranked 60th in the nation, improves to 17-7 on the year. The Broncos will meet either second-seeded Miami or sixth-seeded Buffalo in Sunday's championship match.
BGSU, the tournament's fifth seed, finishes the 2007-08 season with a dual-match record of 16-5. The Falcons of head coach Penny Dean tied the school record for wins in a season, and posted the best winning percentage in three decades.
The loss ended the Falcon careers of Dean's two seniors, co-captains Jenna Nussbaum and Andrea Volle.
WMU opende the match by capturing the doubles point. The top-flight duoe of Kerstin Pahl and Priyanka Parekh picked up a win over BG's duo of junior Kelsey Jakupcin and freshman Christine Chiricosta.
At the third flight, WMU's Yumi Matsuto and Emily Dudzik came from behind for a narrow win over the Falcon team of sophomore Katia Babina and junior Stefanie Menoff. That 8-6 win gave the Broncos the first point of the day. The teams' second-flight match was halted with WMU holding a 6-2 lead.
In singles action, WMU's Noriko Saruta -- the winningest player in school history -- posted a win over Babina at the third flight. At the bottom two flights, a pair of sisters outlasted a pair of seniors, with Western's Ashley and Amanda Moccia getting wins over Nussbaum and Volle. Those victories gave WMU four points on the day and clinched the match for the Broncos.
Chiricosta was a bright spot for the Brown and Orange. The freshman, who had posted a convincing win over Parekh in the teams' regular-season meeting last Saturday (April 19), was one game away from repeating the feat. In the battle of All-MAC Second-Team performers, Chiricosta won the first set by a 6-3 results, and had a 5-3 lead in the second set when the match was halted.
Menoff, who had posted a singles win in the regular-season meeting with the Broncos, was deadlocked with Dudzik, with each having won a set, when their fourth-flight match was stopped.
In the other singles match, Jakupcin was trailing MAC Player of the Year Pahl by a set, but was within 6-5 in the second set when their top-flight contest was abandoned.
As mentioned, Dean and the Falcons lose the services of two seniors from the 2007-08 squad. Nussbaum and Volle end their careers as the winningest class in school history, helping the Falcons to a total of 55 dual-match wins in their four years. They also are just the third class in BG women's tennis annals to post a winning dual-match record in each of their four seasons.
WESTERN MICHIGAN 4, BOWLING GREEN 0
Sat., April 26 // Ellicott Tennis Facility // Buffalo, N.Y.
MAC Championships - Semifinal
DOUBLES
1 - Kerstin Pahl/Priyanka Parekh (WMU) def. Kelsey Jakupcin/Christine Chiricosta 8-1
2 - Ashley Moccia/Noriko Saruta (WMU) led Andrea Volle/Jenna Nussbaum 6-2, DNF
3 - Yumi Matsuto/Emily Dudzik (WMU) def. Katia Babina/Stefanie Menoff 8-6
SINGLES
1 - Kerstin Pahl (WMU) led Kelsey Jakupcin 6-3, 6-5, DNF
2 - Christine Chiricosta (BGSU) led Priyanka Parekh 6-3, 5-3, DNF
3 - Noriko Saruta (WMU) def. Katia Babina 6-2, 6-3
4 - Stefanie Menoff (BGSU) vs. Emily Dudzik (WMU) 5-7, 6-4, DNF
5 - Ashley Moccia (WMU) def. Jenna Nussbaum 6-1, 6-4
6 - Amanda Moccia (WMU) def. Andrea Volle 6-0, 6-4
DNF - match did not finish
