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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Cleveland State
Tennis Falcons Prepare for Busy Weekend
January 26, 2011 | Women's Tennis
BGSU hosts CSU Friday night, then heads to Indy
The Bowling Green State University tennis team is preparing for a busy weekend of action, with three matches in as many days. The Falcons of head coach Penny Dean begin the 'home' portion of the 'spring' schedule on Friday night (Jan. 28), then head to Indianapolis, Ind., for two more duals this weekend.
MAC Preseason Poll Released - PDF
BGSU will host Cleveland State University on Friday evening. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Perrysburg Tennis Center.
The Falcons will take on IUPUI Saturday night (Jan. 29), with match time set for 6:00 p.m. as well. The 6:00 p.m. start is a change from the original time that was listed on some preseason materials. That match will be held at the Five Seasons Sports Club (1300 East 96th Street; Indianapolis).
On Sunday (Jan. 30), the Brown and Orange will meet Butler University in a noon start. That dual will be held at the Butler Bubble, located off of 52nd Street behind BU's historic basketball arena, Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Falcons opened dual-match play by splitting a pair of contests vs. Big East Conference foes last weekend. BGSU dropped a 7-0 decision to Louisville, but bounced back with a 6-1 triumph over West Virginia.
Freshmen Nikki Chiricosta and Emily Reuland each posted an overall 3-1 record last week. The duo teamed up for a pair of wins at the second doubles flight, and each player went 1-1 in singles action. Chiricosta was just a third-set tiebreaker away from a 4-0 weekend in her first collegiate dual-match weekend.
Cleveland State also split a pair of matches last weekend to begin dual action. The Vikings defeated Duquesne, 6-1, before suffering a 7-0 defeat against 33rd-ranked Ohio State. Last year, CSU had one of the most successful seasons in school history, going 15-12 overall and placing second in the Horizon League standings with a 7-1 league mark. It was the highest finish in program annals.
IUPUI is 0-2 in duals after falling by narrow 4-3 scores in matches vs. Youngstown State and SIU Edwardsville. The Jaguars host Ball State on Friday before meeting the Falcons the following evening. Last year, the Jags went 5-20 overall and posted a 3-5 Summit League mark, winning three of the last six conference matchups.
IUPUI is coached by former Falcon standout Cameron (Benjamin) Currie, who earned four letters for Dean and the Falcons from 2001-05.
Butler opens the dual-match schedule this weekend, hosting MAC member Miami Saturday before facing the Falcons the following day. Jason Suscha's team went 10-13 last season.
According to available information, the Falcons are undefeated in the all-time series with each of this weekend's three opponents. BGSU leads Cleveland State, 5-0, in that series. The Falcons posted a 5-2 win in Cleveland last year (Feb. 26, 2010), and picked up a 7-0 victory over the Vikings two years ago (Jan. 23, 2009). The latter meeting was BGSU's first-ever match at the Perrysburg Tennis Center.
The Falcons are 2-0 in series meetings with IUPUI, with victories in the 2005-06 and '08-09 seasons. The latter win was by a 7-0 score at the PTC (March 15, 2009). The Falcons have never faced IUPUI in Indianapolis.
In a series that began in 1991-92, the Falcons are a perfect 13-0 in dual matches against Butler. The teams did not meet last season, but squared off in seven-straight seasons prior to that. In the last meeting, BGSU downed the Bulldogs by a 7-0 count two years ago at the PTC (Feb. 27, 2009). BG's most recent road match against BU saw the Falcons pick up a 5-2 victory in January of 2008.
In addition to the prior dual-match meetings, CSU and IUPUI have crossed paths with the Falcons in tourney play. Both schools participated in the BGSU Invitational back in September, and Cleveland State also was in the Spartan Invitiatonal and the Toledo Invite during the fall schedule.
In other news, the Falcons were picked to finish seventh in the Mid-American Conference Tennis Preseason poll. The poll, the result of voting by the league's nine head coaches, was announced Wednesday (Jan. 26). Miami was picked to win the league's regular-season and tournament titles again in 2011. The RedHawks captured both crowns in 2010. MU received six votes to finish first in the regular-season standings, and garnered four votes to win the tourney. The complete voting totals are as follows, with points in parentheses ...
2011 MAC WOMEN'S TENNIS PRESEASON POLL
1 - Miami (76)
2 - Akron (72)
3 - Western Michigan (62)
4 - Toledo; Buffalo (47)
6 - Eastern Michigan (38)
7 - Bowling Green (36)
8 - Ball State (14)
9 - Northern Illinois (13)
