Chiricosta Ties Another Record as BGSU Downs Rhode Island

Wednesday, March 12

Palm Springs, CA

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Rhode Island

March 12, 2014 | Women's Tennis

Senior moves into a tie for first on the combined career wins list

By: PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Nikki Chiricosta, Cindy Yonker and Christine Chiricosta

Senior co-captain Nikki Chiricosta tied another school record as the Bowling Green State University tennis team defeated the University of Rhode Island, 5-2, Wednesday afternoon (March 12). The non-conference dual match was held at the Doral Desert Princess Resort in Palm Springs, Calif.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 5-3 on the year, and BGSU snaps the team's first two-match losing streak in over two years.

Chiricosta teamed up with sophomore Katie Brozovich for a doubles victory vs. the Rams, the 178th total win of her BGSU career. She has moved into a tie for first place in school history on that list, matching the record set by her sister, Christine Chiricosta (2008-11).

Nikki Chiricosta moved into a tie for second on the BG career doubles wins list, with 89. She is deadlocked with her sister on that list as well. In fact, the two sisters are tied at top of the career singles wins list. Both Chiricosta sisters currently have 178 total victories - 89 in singles and 89 in doubles.

Brozovich and senior Emily Reuland each won a pair of matches on Wednesday afternoon, as all seven members of the team picked up at least one victory against the Rams. Freshmen Hannah Drayton, Harley Hutchison and Brittany Plaszewski all won in singles, while Chiricosta and sophomore Drew Fillis posted doubles wins on Wednesday.

"This was a good match for us today," said BGSU head coach Penny Dean. "Our doubles teams stepped up to get us the initial point, and our freshmen really stepped it up in singles play.

"Emily played very tough today, forcing the issue and coming to the net with a lot of success."

The Falcons took the doubles point, as Brozovich and Chiricosta combined for an 8-1 win over URI's Taylor Holden and Jordan Rucks at the second flight. BG's top-flight duo also was victorious, as Fillis and Reuland teamed up for an 8-4 victory over the Rams' Nithila Asokaraj and Kathleen Uy. Rhode Island captured the third-flight match, as Galina Chernykh and Elizaveta Sadovnikova got past Hutchison and Drayton by a narrow 8-6 score.

In singles play, the Falcons won four of the six matches to seal the victory over the Rams. Plaszewski made quick work of Rucks at the sixth flight, losing just one total game, while Drayton dropped only two games in her fifth-flight win over Askokaraj. Both BG players won by a 6-0 score in their second flight.

Brozovich lost only four total games at the third flight, with a 6-3 win over Uy in the opening set and a 6-1 win in the second. The sophomore now has a career record of 27-3 in dual-match singles play.

Reuland topped Holden by identical 6-3 scores in flight-two action. Reuland, like Chiricosta, is rapidly moving up the BGSU career wins lists. She now has 157 total wins, the fourth-highest total in school history. Reuland picked up her 80th career singles victory on Wednesday, moving into sole possession of fourth place on that BG list, and she now has 77 doubles victories to rank fifth on that chart.

The Rams' two points came at the top flight, where Chernykh got past Chiricosta, and the fourth flight, where Sadovnikova outlasted Fillis by a narrow 7-5 score in the first set en route to the win.

The Falcons remain in Palm Springs for a Thursday (March 13) matchup with Gonzaga University. That dual, scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, is BGSU's last match before the beginning of the Mid-American Conference schedule next weekend (Sat., March 22).

Bowling Green 5, Rhode Island 2
March 12, 2014 - Palm Springs, Calif. - Doral Desert Princess Resort
Singles
1 - Galina Chernykh (URI) def. Nikki Chiricosta 6-2, 6-4
2 - Emily Reuland (BGSU) def. Taylor Holden 6-3, 6-3
3 - Katie Brozovich (BGSU) def. Kathleen Uy 6-3, 6-1
4 - Elizaveta Sadovnikova (URI) def. Drew Fillis 7-5, 6-1
5 - Hannah Drayton (BGSU) def. Nithila Asokaraj 6-2, 6-0
6 - Brittany Plaszewski (BGSU) def. Jordan Rucks 6-1, 6-0
# - Harley Hutchison (BGSU) def. Amanda Junkins 8-0

Doubles
1 - Fillis/Reuland (BGSU) def. Asokaraj/Uy 8-4
2 - Brozovich/Chiricosta (BGSU) def. Holden/Rucks 8-1
3 - Chernykh/Sadovnikova (URI) def. Hutchison/Drayton 8-6

Records
Bowling Green 5-3
Rhode Island 4-6

# exhibition; not included in final match scoring