Despite Doubles Wins, Tennis Season Comes to a Close in MAC Semifinals

Saturday, April 28

Muncie, IN

10:00AM

Bowling Green State University

Buffalo

Despite Doubles Wins, Tennis Season Comes to a Close in MAC Semifinals

April 28, 2018 | Women's Tennis

By: Jenna Jorgensen (Assistant Director of Athletic Communications)

MUNCIE, Ind. – The 2018 season came to an end for the No. 4 Bowling Green tennis program (14-9, 5-3 MAC) on Saturday afternoon when the Falcons fell to No. 1 Buffalo (16-3, 8-0 MAC) 4-1 in the semifinals of the 2018 MAC Championship. Bowling Green opened with a thrilling victory for the doubles point against the Bulls, to cap off a season in which they earned the most wins since the 2013 campaign.

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Results BGSU 1 vs. Buffalo 4
April 28, 2018 – Cardinal Creek Tennis Center – Muncie, Ind.

SINGLES
1 – C. Martinez Blanco (Buffalo) vs. Paula Comella (BGSU) 1-6, 6-1, 0-3 unfinished
2 – Tanja Stojanovska (Buffalo) def. Polina Radeva (BGSU) 6-0, 6-2
3 – Lolade Ogungbesan (Buffalo) def. Marharita-Sophia Tavpash (BGSU) 6-2, 6-2
4 – Emel Abibula (Buffalo) def. Ayumi Sasaki (BGSU) 6-3, 6-3
5 – Sanjana Sudhir (Buffalo) vs. Vanesa Pardo (BGSU) 6-4, 4-2 unfinished
6 – A. Paules Aldrey (Buffalo) def. Marta Bettinelli (BGSU) 6-1, 6-1

DOUBLES
1 – Martinez Blanco / Ogungbesan (Buffalo) def. Comella / Tavpash (BGSU) 6-2
2 – Radeva / Sasaki (BGSU) def. Stojanovska / Savchenko (Buffalo) 7-6 (7-3)
3 – Bettinelli / Pardo (BGSU) def. Abibula / Paules Aldrey (Buffalo) 6-3

Statistical Standouts

For her efforts in the 2018 MAC Championship, junior Paula Comella was named to the MAC All-Tournament Team. It marks Bowling Green's first MAC All-Tournament Team member since Katie Brozovich and Mary Hill in the 2012-13 season.
The Falcons first came out victorious in its first appearance in the MAC Semifinals since 2013 when junior Vanesa Pardo and freshman Marta Bettinelli handedly downed their opponents at No. 3 doubles by a 6-3 score after leading the match outright.
To clinch the doubles point for the Falcons, junior Polina Radeva and sophomore Ayumi Sasaki rallied back from a late 5-3 deficit to claim the match in an eventful 7-6, (7-3) finish. The duo tied the match at 5-5 as well as 6-6, and with its win, earned the doubles point for the Bowling Green program. On the season, the pairing earned a 12-8 (3-3 MAC) record at No. 2 doubles.
The 2018 season proved to be a successful one for the Falcons, as it marked the winningest season since 2013 with its 14 victories. The Falcons also finished in a tie for third in the MAC regular season, after being predicted to tie for fifth in the MAC Preseason Poll.
On the year, the Bowling Green tennis program also completed the season with an outstanding home record of 8-1 at the Perrysburg Tennis Center on its way to making its first appearance in the MAC Tournament since 2014. Bowling Green also battled against its opponents, where it earned its first win against Ball State since 2013, and first wins over Akron and Western Michigan since 2014.
When juniors Paula Comella and Polina Radeva were named to 2018 First Team All-MAC honors, it marked the first time since 1997 that two Falcons earned First Team accolades. On the year, Comella led the Falcons with a 16-5 record in singles play, while Radeva tallied a 12-9 result against her opponents.

Coach Dalmacio's Take

"We knew that it would all start with doubles and that it would be a huge point. Court two went down 5-3, and fought back as they had all season. They were playing a very high level of tennis, and Buffalo is a very difficult team to beat and our team left it all out on the court."
"Every day something is different, not only for me but for the team as well. This season there was a lot of team cohesion that had to happen for us to be where we are today, and the team all took responsibility of what they each needed to do individually and held each other accountable. The progress we've seen is because of that, and the team accepts the challenges to get better every day."

Follow the Falcons

For the most up-to-date information on the Bowling Green tennis program, follow the Falcons on Twitter at @BGSUTennis and @BGAthletics, as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.

2018 MAC Women's Tennis Tournament Most Valuable Player
- Lolade Ogungbesan, Buffalo

2018 MAC Women's Tennis All-Tournament Team:
- Paula Comella, Bowling Green
- Sidnay Huck, Toledo
- Nelli Ponomareva, Miami
- Emily Struble, Miami
- Tonja Stojanovska, Buffalo
- Lolade Ogungbesan, Buffalo