DANES NARROWLY LOSE TO FORDHAM RAMS
(Hanover, NH). UAlbany lost the doubles point, but put on a strong rally in the singles before falling just a few games short of beating the Rams, a team that got them 6-1 last year. Rocio Lopez, Kirsten Scott and Irene Santos all pulled out singles wins for the Danes giving them three points in the top four singles spots.Doubles went convincingly to the Rams as they dropped only nine games in the three matches.
Singles started after doubles and within 10 minutes the match had been evened at 1-1 as Santos’ opponent had to retire due to injury after one hard fought game in which Santos prevailed. Fordham was a very deep team, and their #5 and #6 players showed that as they swept both Sarah Iannone and Fran White without dropping a game. This put them on the edge of the team victory, leading 3-1
Now UA had to sweep the remaining singles to win. And they gave it a good go. Scott toyed with her opponent, before putting her away 6-1,6-2. In the meantime, Lopez and Hermans were both involved in tight matches that could have gone either way. Hermans match went to her opponent 6-2,6-3, clinching the team match for the Rams.
Undaunted, Lopez battled to the limit in what was a hotly contested match at #2 singles. Her Ram opponent had a nearly world-class backhand, but was vulnerable on the forehand wing. Lopez found that opening and worked it, mixing in high balls out of her strike zone, knifing slices and occasional dropshots. Lopez narrowly took the first set, only to have her opponent take the second set. In the match tiebreaker for the third set, Lopez bolted to within a point, 9-4 , then watched as her opponent ran off three points to 9-7. Then closed it out 10-7.
Coach Graham: “This one WAS as close as the score. We turned in a good singles performance after dropping the doubles point and nearly got it done today. If Cat Crummey (out with the flu) had been in our lineup we would have won, I’m convinced. But that said, we still could have pulled this out without her. Santos, Scott and Lopez all won their singles. Lopez’ win was an entertaining match, one of the best UA matches in a long time. The final score shows how much we have improved since our 6-1 loss to them last year.”
UALBANY 3 FORDHAM 4
Doubles:
1. Simidian-Ali (F) def. Santos-Lopez (UA) 8-4
2. Genkina-Novacek (F) def. Hermans-Iannone (UA) 8-4*
3. Davu-Leong (F) def. Scott-Kukkonen (UA) 8-1
Order of finish: 3,2,1
*=Clinched doubles point for Fordham
Singles:
1. Irene Santos (UA) def. Amy Simidian (F) 1-0, retired, injury
2. Rocio Lopez (UA) def. Sarah Ali (F) 7-5,3-6,1-0 (7)
3. Angie Dabu (F) def. Mireille Hermans (UA) 6-2,6-3 $
4. Kirsten Scott (UA) def. Bella Genkina (UA) 6-1,6-2
5. Julie Leong (F) def. Sarah Iannone (UA) 6-0,6-0
6. Anika Novacek (F) def. Francine White (UA) 6-0,6-0
Order of finish: 1,5,6,4,3,2
$=Clinched match for Fordham
UALBANY RECORDS: 2-4 (overall); 0-0 (AmericaEast)
NEXT MATCH: Saturday, March 2, 9:30 a.m. at CORNELL
NEXT HOME MATCH: Sunday, March 3, 1:00 p.m. vs. RHODE ISLAND at Sportime, Schenectady, NY (15 min. from campus)
DANES RUN OVER THE STAGS IN ‘THE BUBBLE’, 5-2
(Albany, NY). UAlbany tennis pulled out the doubles point in thrilling fashion, then dominated the Stags in four of the six singles matches to move their record to 2-1 on the spring season. This match was originally scheduled at Sportime, but was wiped out by winter storm Nemo and rescheduled to the the Danes’ home practice facility, affectionately known as ‘The Bubble’.The Danes started slowly in doubles, falling behind in all three positions. The new combo of Rocio Lopez and Irene Santos struggled out of the gate and fell behind 5-0, looking like they had never played together (which they hadn’t). The momentum began to change UA’s way as the #3 team of Sarah Iannone and Fran White started to click, forged a lead and stayed ahead to win the match 8-6 in a well-played match. #2 doubles, Cat Crummey and Mireille Hermans kept it close, but were behind on every changeover. In the meantime, it was “Vamos” time at #1 as the Spaniards got it going, and charged back from 7-2 down to tie the match, 7-7. Simultaneously the #2 team went into a tiebreak as well. The #1’s came up short, losing their tiebreak 8-6 and putting the outcome on the shoulders of the freshmen, Crummey-Hermans. The freshmen did not disappoint and came through with a solid tiebreak, winning it 7-5 to clinch the doubles point.
The Bubble affords only three match-worthy courts, so the top three singles matches went on, while 4,5 and 6 stayed on the sidelines to cheer. The Danes rode the wave of momentum they had generated from the doubles and took all three first sets. Lopez kept her winning streak alive by rolling over her Stag opponent in less than one hour. Santos started slowly, then she too went on a roll to win her first match as a Great Dane, 6-3,6-2. And Hermans, playing against a talented Stag at #1, played her even for two sets, winning the first 6-4 and coming so close in the second. Hermans was down 5-4, but serving up 40-love, one point from evening the second set when Yajima kicked into another gear, closed out the second and just kept rolling through the third.
Now the Danes were up 3-1 in matches won, and the 4,5 and 6 singles players took over. What little hope the Stags had left was quickly dashed as Crummey blitzed her left-handed opponent 6-1,6-1 to close out the match for the Danes. With the match clinched, the final two matches were switched to 8-game pro sets to speed up the finish. Iannone played solidly and dismissed the Stags’ #5 player 8-5 for the Danes final point on the day. At #6, White took awhile to get going, but for the last half of the match she showed the solid play that helped win a key doubles match earlier. However, she was not able to overcome her opponent’s lead.
It wasn’t a ‘massacre’, but it was a good Valentine’s Day win for the Danes, their second of the early season over a team that beaten them last season. Their record now stands at 2-1.
Next up for the squad is a social tennis venture: a “member-guest” mixer with members of the Sportime club in Schenectady, one of their two “home clubs”, tomorrow at 7pm.
Then Sunday they drive to West Point to play Quinnipiac at 2pm in Army’s indoor tennis center.
Coach Graham: “We had another good team effort today! We didn’t start well in doubles, but all three teams picked up the energy level and aggressiveness to take charge. Winning the doubles point was key to our overall team victory, and our #3 team of Iannone and White, who played their best yet, came through! Then we just played some dominating singles. A nice win in front of several UA staff and students, and others!”
UALBANY 5 FAIRFIELD 2
Doubles
1. Yajima-Pirrello (F) def. Lopez-Santos (UA) 8-7 (6)
2. Hermans-Crummey (UA) def. Radde-Ryan (F) 8-7 (5)*
3. Iannone-White (UA) def. Jackson-Jamson (F) 8-6
Order of finish: 3,1,2.
*=Clinched doubles point.
Singles
1. Monica Yajima (F) def. Mireille Hermans (UA) 4-6,6-4,6-0
2. Rocio Lopez (UA) def. Sharissa Ryan (F) 6-1,6-1
3. Irene Santos (UA) def. Alison Radde (F) 6-3,6-2
4. Cat Crummey (UA) def. Tori Pirello (F) 6-1,6-1$$
5. Sarah Iannone (UA) def. Nikki Jackson (F) 8-5
6. Emma Jamson (F) def. Francine White (UA) 8-3
Order of finish: 2,3,1,4,5,6
$$=Match clincher
DANES PLAY MAKEUP MATCH vs. STAGS @ 3:00pm
(Albany, NY). Wiped out by winter storm Nemo five days ago, the UAlbany and Fairfield tennis teams will try it again on Valentine’s Day in the UAlbany bubble. The match starts at 3:00 p.m. with doubles, followed by singles around 4:00 p.m. Played on only 3 or 4 courts, the match is expected to last at least until 6:00 p.m., possibly as late as 8:00 p.m.Irene Santos is expected to make her Albany debut with countrywoman Rocio Lopez in doubles, followed by singles. But the enthusiasm of having Santos join the roster has been tempered by the loss of co-captain Kirsten Scott who will have to sit this one out due to injuries suffered in her three hour singles marathon on Sunday vs. Providence. She and roommate Cheryl Kukkonen (broken wrist) will be cheering loudly.
The Danes are 1-1 on the spring.
Coach Graham: “This promises to be an entertaining and competitive match. Last year we narrowly lost 4-3 after being up match point in a couple of matches that we eventually dropped. The bubble gives us a bit of a home court advantage, but we are still going to have to go out and win this match. Fairfield fought really tough last year and I expect we’ll see that again tomorrow.”
DANES DROP A CLOSE ONE TO FRIARS, 5-2
(Tri-City Tennis and Fitness, Latham, NY). The Great Danes lost the doubles point and the first two singles matches to fall behind 3-0, but kept fighting and nearly won this match. Rocio Lopez was the only double winner on the day as she and Kirsten Scott dominated at #1 doubles, then she pulled out a hard fought three-setter at #3 singles. And freshman Cat Crummey won again at #4 singles in straight sets to account for the Danes only two points.
Scott came within one point of winning at #1 singles, and proved she can compete well at that always demanding position. Mireille Hermans made a big comeback at #2 after dropping the first set to take the second set and nearly go up 4-2 in the third. Fran White and Sarah Iannone (#6 and #5 respectively) showed much improvement in both their singles and doubles.
The match took exactly four hours and was a highly spirited affair! Both teams were cheering at a high vocal level, much of it in Spanish. In the end, Providence just kept a few more balls in the court in key situations, and relied on their experience to take key wins at #1 and #2 singles, which turned out to be the difference today.
The Danes,1-1 on the season, take on FAIRFIELD with an expected start time of 3:00pm on Thursday, Feb. 14 at the Bubble on the UA campus. It’s a VALENTINES DAY SPECIAL…Free Admission to everyone who brings a Valentines Day card or candy!!
Coach Graham: This was a great college tennis match with everything you could want except a win for the home team. We competed with so much heart and effort! We dropped the doubles point, then fell behind 3-0 after two singles matches, but the four remaining players kept fighting and we came within a few points of sweeping all of them to take the match. This team can accomplish a lot this season by competing like this going forward. We are going to improve on the practice courts, and we will get more healthy, too. I feel good about what lies ahead for this season!
UALBANY 2 PROVIDENCE COLLEGE 5
Doubles:
1. Scott-Lopez (UA) def. Aviles- Bernardez (PC) 8-3
2. Prinos-Corder (PC) def. Hermans-Crummey (UA) 8-2*
3. Ramirez-Zangari (PC) def. Iannone-White (UA) 8-3
Order of finish: 3,2,1.
*=doubles point clincher
Singles:
1. Marisela Aviles (PC) def. Kirsten Scott (UA) 2-6,7-5,7-6(0)
2. Maria Bernardez (PC) def. Mireille Hermans (UA) 6-2,4-6,6-4 $$
3. Rocio Lopez (UA) def. Alana Prinos (PC) 6-4,5-7,6-3
4. Cat Crummey (UA) def. Taylor Corder (PC) 6-4,7-5
5. Karen Ramirez (PC) def. Sarah Iannone (UA) 6-3,6-0
6. Hannah Zanjari (PC) def. Fran White (UA) 6-3,6-1
Order of finish: 5,6,4,2,3,1
$$=Match clincher
FAIRFIELD MATCH POSTPONED; PROVIDENCE COMING ON SUNDAY
(Albany, NY) The winter storm scheduled to hit New England has forced the postponement of the Great Danes’ match vs. Fairfield tomorrow. The Providence Friars vs. UAlbany match is still “ON” for Sunday, 2:00 p.m. at Tri-City Tennis and Fitness in Latham, NY (exit #7 off of I-87).The Fairfield match has been re-scheduled for next Thursday, Feb. 14, 3:00 p.m. in the bubble on the UAlbany campus.
The Great Danes will be looking to raise their season record to 2-0 on Sunday vs. a good Providence team. REMEMBER: the viewing just got a whole lot better at Tri-City now that they pull some of their curtains back for our matches!!! SEE YOU THERE!!!
Coach Graham: “We expect a great match on Sunday! Providence is a team that keeps a lot of balls in the court, so we’ll need to be patiently aggressive. Last year we beat them at Providence in a very exciting, down-to-the-wire match, 4-3. We were behind 3-2 and got three set wins from Sarah Iannone and Livia Gherman to pull it out. I won’t be surprised to see the same scenario this Sunday.”
GREAT DANES HOST 15-LOVE and NYJTL YOUNGSTERS and STAFF
(Albany, NY) The UAlbany women’s tennis team played host to over two dozen participants from the 15-Love and NYJTL programs today in the Dane’s tennis bubble. The guests got to meet all the Dane players and coaches, do some fun drills and games and take a mini-campus tour to get a taste of college life.
15-Love (www.15Love.org) and NYJTL (www.nyjtl.org) are two organizations dedicated to providing tennis and educational enrichment opportunities to urban youth. Both are great organizations that have done so much for their respective communities, 15-Love in Albany and NYJTL in New York City. It was a pleasure for our team to get to associate with these programs and to have so much fun with their young people!
Here are a couple of pictures from today’s event: one is a group pic, and the other is all the kids and Dane players doing our traditional “Hands In” huddle.
GREAT DANES START SEASON WITH HARD FOUGHT WIN OVER RED FOXES, 4-3
(Latham, NY) The curtains opened on a new season and the Danes didn’t disappoint the good tennis crowd that turned out at Tri-City Tennis and Fitness. They avenged a 4-3 loss to Marist from last year with a win by the same score. It was a solid triumph for the Danes, one that conceivably could have been 6-1. But a couple of close matches went to the Red Foxes after freshman Cat Crummey had clinched the match for the good guys with her 6-3,6-3 victory at #4 in her home club.The doubles started out with Marist in control at #3 and UAlbany in complete control at #1 (Scott-Lopez). So it looked like the doubles point would come down to #2, freshmen Crummey and Mireille Hermans (Netherlands). The Dane frosh started a bit slowly and found themselves down 3-2. But from that point they reeled off an impressive six straight games to take #2 doubles. Kirsten Scott (Alberta, Canada) and Rocio Lopez (Madrid, Spain) soon followed suit at #1 and the Danes won the always important doubles point to go up 1-0.
U Albany – DUAL MATCH SEASON BEGINS vs. MARIST @ TRI-CITY
The Great Dane tennis team opens its 2013 campaign by hosting the Marist Red Foxes at 2:00p.m., Friday, Feb. 1st.
Tri-City Tennis and Fitness (in Latham just off of exit 7 on the Northway), is pulling back the curtains on the Dane’s dual match season…literally and figuratively. This move will allow better viewing for spectators and more FUN for EVERYONE!! We really appreciate this big move on Tri-City’s part. We know there are lots of people who would like to see our team play and now spectators will find it much easier to view.
The Danes lost narrowly to Marist last season, so are eager for this year’s match and to kick-off the spring season! We’ve been working hard all fall and made lots of progress as a team, and individually. I expect we will compete hard and we will give it our best!!!
Saturday following the match, the Danes will host local youngsters from 15-Love in an afternoon of tennis games and drills, plus mini-campus tours helping to orient them to college life. 15-Love is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of urban youth with life skills, education and tennis training. To find out more about this great organization, go to: www.15love.org. And if you would like to come watch, we will be in the UAlbany tennis bubble on Saturday from 1-4pm.
Everyone is WELCOME to both Great Dane tennis events this weekend!!
Go DANES!!!
FORMER WORLD #443 IS NEWEST GREAT DANE!!
Irene Santos Bravo, who reached a high ranking of #18 in Spain and #443 on the WTA tour, has committed to play for the University at Albany women’s tennis team this spring. The Madrid native competed on the world stage for a few years and battled her way to a world ranking few US collegians have reached, or will reach. In her short WTA career, Santos garnered wins over these women, with their highest world ranking listed in parentheses: Sally Peers (#145); Arina Rodionova (#157); and Ganna Piven (#334).Coach Gordon Graham is optimistic that… “Santos will be a great addition to the team! We had a good fall of training and tournaments in which the five healthy players showed marked improvement, so we already were going to be a stronger team this spring. But Irene brings a level of expertise, experience and success that will help take us to another level. Plus she is going to be a real ‘team player’ who will help make us an even tighter, more competitive unit.”
Santos will start her UAlbany tennis career playing in the elite National Collegiate Tennis Classic, January 18-20, in Palm Springs, CA. This 32-player draw includes players from such college tennis powers as Stanford, UCLA, USC, North Carolina and Alabama.
The newest Great Dane will enroll in the UAlbany graduate program, pursuing a Masters degree in Communications.
The Danes open their team dual match schedule with a ‘home’ match at Tri-City Tennis and Fitness, Latham, NY on…
Friday, Feb. 1, 1:00 p.m.
vs.
MARIST
U Albany TEAM GPA=3.21…IANNONE SELECTED AMERICAEAST ALL-ACADEMIC
Final grades are in from the spring semester, and the Great Danes recorded a stellar performance in the classroom to go along with their strong showing on the courts. The team finished with a 3.21 GPA for spring semester, and Sarah Iannone was selected to the AmericaEast All-Academic Tennis Team!!
Almost every team member broke the 3.0 GPA mark for the spring semester. Iannone led the way with a 3.94. Freshman Francine White was close behind with a 3.85. And #1 player Rocio Lopez recorded a 3.68 in her first semester as a Great Dane (and English is her second language!!).
The team showed significant improvement by moving their team GPA from 2.91 this past fall to 3.21 this spring. They were only slightly behind the top UAlbany team GPA of 3.35.
Iannone, a senior-to-be from North Vancouver, B.C., was only the fourth Dane ever named to the AmericaEast All-Academic Tennis Team. The honorees were selected by a committee of Sports Information Directors, academic advisors and faculty representatives from each conference university. To qualify, one needs a 3.30 cumulative GPA (Iannone has 3.50) and to have played in over 50% of the team’s matches. Iannone played in every match for the Danes, mostly at #5 singles and #3 doubles with Aubrey Brooks. This selection happened BEFORE UAlbany grades were reported for this semester.
The women’s AmericaEast All-Academic team consists of: Iannone, Boston University senior Monika Mical (Stalowa Wola, Poland/Spoleczne Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace), Binghamton senior Marina Bykovskaya (Saratov, Russia/Secondary School 8), UMBC sophomore Kim Berghaus (Offenbach, Germany/Leibnizgymnasium), Boston U. sophomore Leonie Athanasiadis (Haltern am See, Germany/Joseph Koenig Gymnasium), and Stony Brook senior Katherine Hanson (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge).
U Albany’s Got Talent
GREAT DANES LAND BELGIAN, DUTCH AND LOCAL STANDOUTS
The University at Albany (SUNY) got commitments from three talented new tennis players who will join the five returning Danes in making what promises to be a much-improved squad for 2012-13. Elke Vromans (Lommel, Belgium), Mireille Hermans (Twello, Netherlands) and Cathryn Crummey (Shaker HS, Albany,NY) bring significant experience, accomplishments and developmental potential to a Dane squad that returns four starters and finished 11-14, 5th in the AmericaEast conference. Both Vromans and Hermans are ranked #120 in women’s singles in their respective countries. Crummey is a three-time NY High School Sectional Champion who finished 4th in the NY State HS Championships as a senior.
Coach Gordon Graham on this three-some: “These new players are going to help give us a deeper, more competitive team, and on top of that they are hard workers who all have their best tennis ahead of them. This is an exciting time in Great Dane tennis! We are a team that is moving onward and upward with the goal to be “in the hunt” for the AmericaEast title soon. Adding these three players to the returnees we have will be a big step in that direction.”
In order of their committing to UAlbany:
ELKE VROMANS (WICO Campus Sint-Jozef; Lommel, Belgium). 5’11”. Vromans is a big-serving, aggressive baseliner with some big wins in her recent history, including a straight sets win over Debbrich Feys, former Belgian Fed Cup player, who has been ranked as high as #341 in singles and #180 in doubles in the WTA. She also recorded a win over Astrid Leclere, ranked #47 in Belgium. This right-hander has a big forehand and serve, and a two-handed backhand. The only child of Eddy Vromans and Eliane Janssenswillen, Elke started playing tennis at 9 and loves the game. She also enjoys music and plays the keyboard, and is planning on studying Economics at UAlbany.
COACH GRAHAM on VROMANS: “Elke is a technically-solid player with some big weaponry! She is working hard on her strength, her movement and her net skills to complement her powerful backcourt game. She is a joy to work with according to her coach in Belgium and I am looking forward to working with her as a Dane!”
MIREILLE HERMANS (Veluws College; Twello, Netherlands). 5’10”. Hermans is a solid player with good international tournament experience and results. She finished in the Top 8 of her age group in the Netherlands in 2009 and 2011, and was ranked in the Top 120 women in the Netherlands in 2010. From 2010 on, Hermans geared down her tennis time commitment to focus on her academics. She started tennis at 5 years old and plans to play it the rest of her life. She is undecided on her course of study at UAlbany, but is interested in psychology, pre med and mathematics. Her father Peter owns his own business and her mother, Petra, is a physiotherapist and now works for the Dutch Tennis Federation. She has two older sisters, both studying at a university in the Netherlands.GRAHAM on HERMANS: “Mireille is going to be a great addition to our team in terms of her talent, her work-ethic and her team spirit. She is passionate about getting better and I expect her game will take a big jump forward in this program. Mireille is extremely coachable, eager to improve, a hard worker, and already an accomplished player.”
CATHRYN (CAT) CRUMMEY (Shaker HS, Loudonville, NY). 5’3″. Crummey is a highly recognized local player who played #1 for Shaker HS all four years, played in the NY State HS Championships five times, finished 4th as a senior, and was voted the Sportsmanship Award winner at that tournament as a senior. She has represented the USTA Eastern region at the Zonal National Championships twice and helped her 2010 team win the silver medal by winning six of her 10 matches. She also has played Team Tennis in the 1B and 1A National Championships where she recorded a win over a five-star recruit. She was honored by the Times Union as the 2nd best athlete in the Capital District this year, plus Tennis MVP of the Year in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Crummey has been an honor roll student throughout high school and is intending to study business at UAlbany. Her father Peter is the Judge of the Town of Colonie, NY, and her mother Caron works at Hinman Straub. Both parents were college athletes; her father captained the Boston College swimming team and her mother dove for Williams College. Both her older sisters, Carol and Conna, went to Boston College. Her younger sister Canon and younger brother Peter both attend Shaker HS. Aside from her tennis, Crummey enjoys skiing, golf, diving, running and swimming.GRAHAM on CRUMMEY: “Cat is one of the toughest competitors I have seen. She will fight tooth and nail for a match. No lead is safe against her. That said, she is a good athlete who is a much better tennis player than her ranking and record. She can get a lot better in college with regular training, coaching and competition. Cat has a big forehand and the foot speed to get around a lot of balls to use that weapon. I am excited to have Cat with her talent and her highly competitive spirit on our team!”
DANES DOWN FRIARS, 4-3
The University at Albany women’s tennis team reached one of their team goals for the season. They put together just enough wins to beat a solid Providence College squad, one that had dominated them in a fall tournament. After a delay in the match start time of 4 ½ hours due to rain and a nearby softball game that threatened player safety with foul balls, the Danes came out determined and got the job done by winning the doubles point and the requisite three singles matches. The Danes took both the #1 doubles (Rocio Lopez-Livia Gherman) and #3 doubles (Aubrey Brooks-Sarah Iannone) matches, then got straight set singles wins by Brooks, Iannone and Gherman for the win. While they dominated the two doubles matches, the Danes didn’t have it easy in singles. In fact they got down 3-2 and had to pull out both remaining matches.
The ‘Dream Team’ (Brooks-Iannone) got their Friar counterparts down 3-2, then went on a roll winning 5 of the next 6 games. Within a couple of minutes the Danes #1 duo, Lopez-Gherman, finished off their opponents, 8-1. The #2 doubles match (Kirsten Scott-Cheryl Kukkonen) was even at 6-6 when the match was ended since the doubles point had been determined. As is often the case, the doubles point turned out to be the difference in the match, since the teams split the six singles matches.
The Danes’ doubles point advantage didn’t last long, however. UA fell behind 2-1 with quick singles wins by Providence at #1 and #6 respectively. Brooks evened the match at 2-2 as she steamrolled her opponent 6-1,6-2 in dominating fashion. The Friars prevailed at #3, putting the pressure squarely on the shoulders of the #4 and #2 singles matches. Iannone and Gherman responded to the pressure and prevailed. Both had won their first sets, barely, and were in their second sets when the whole crowd shifted to watch their courts. Playing side-by-side, the veterans fought back any comeback their opponent could muster and closed out their matches for the DANE VICTORY!!
The squad heads to Hartford on Thursday for their final regular season match, eager for their first AmericaEast win of the season. Then they set their sites on the AmericaEast Conference Championships, a team tournament in which they are going to get a second shot at some team (yet TBD) that beat them earlier in the season.
UALBANY 4 PROVIDENCE 3
Doubles:
1. Lopez-Gherman (UA) def. Corder-Ahlborn 8-1*
2. Scott-Kukkonen (UA) DNF Bernardez-Ramirez 6-6
3. Iannone-Brooks (UA) def. Carnall-Foley 8-3
Order of finish: 3,1 (#2 did not finish since UA had won dbls. Pt.)
*Doubles point clincher
Singles:
1. Maria Bernardez (PC) def. Kirsten Scott (UA) 6-1,6-0
2. Livia Gherman (UA) def. Taylor Corder (PC) 6-3,6-4 $$
3. Karen Ramirez (PC) def. Cheryl Kukkonen (UA) 7-5,6-1
4. Sarah Iannone (UA) def. Taylor Ahlborn (PC) 6-4,6-1
5. Aubrey Brooks (UA) def. Alli Carnall (PC) 6-1,6-2
6. Caitlin Foley (PC) def. Francine White (UA) 6-1,6-0
Order of finish: 1,6,5,3,4,2
$$ Match clincher
UALBANY RECORDS 9-13 (Overall); 0-4 (AmericaEast)
NEXT MATCH: Thursday, April 19, 3:00 @ HARTFORD, then…
Assistant Coach Position – University at Albany
The University at Albany (SUNY), a member of the America East Conference, invites applications for ASSISTANT WOMEN’S TENNIS COACH. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to assisting the Head Coach with: program administration, practice and match coaching, recruitment and retention of academically and athletically qualified student-athletes, public relations, fund raising and community service activities, and compliance with university, NCAA and America East Conference regulations.
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by a U.S. Department of Education or internationally recognized accrediting organization; collegiate playing experience (preferably at the NCAA Division I level); some coaching/teaching experience is desirable. Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to student-athlete academic and athletic success, have a valid driver’s license and must address in their applications their ability to work with culturally diverse populations.
This position is available with two track options:
- If taken as a “Part-time” position, the compensation is $18,000 per year, with benefits.
- If taken as a “Graduate Assistantship”, the compensation includes 9-credit hrs. per semester toward graduate degree, additionally a $9,000 academic year stipend. The appointment is contingent on the applicant being accepted into a graduate degree program at UAlbany. The position begins August 16, 2012 and runs through May 22, 2013. It is renewable annually based upon performance. Preference given to applicant interested in a career as a collegiate tennis coach.
Please forward a letter of application, resume and a list of references with contact information via email to: Gordon Graham, Head Coach of Women’s Tennis, UAlbany, at: gordoncgraham@gmail.com.
The University at Albany is an EO/AA/IRCA/ADA employer.
RAMS KNOCK DOWN THE DANES, 6-1
The Univ. at Albany women’s tennis team dropped their second consecutive “Senior Day” match, this time as visitors, to the Univ. of Rhode Island Rams, 6-1. Rocio Lopez returned to the doubles lineup for the first time since missing four straight matches and bolstered everybody’s spirits as she and her partner Livia Gherman won at #1. But the match of the day, the Danes only singles victory, went to freshman Kirsten Scott who prevailed in a long two-setter.
Back together at #1 doubles, Gherman and Lopez made short work of senior twin sisters, Kirsten and Tristany Leikam, 8-1…icing on her 21st birthday cake for Lopez. At #2 and #3 doubles, the Danes were always within striking distance, but lost both 8-6. Sarah Iannone and Aubrey Brooks got up 6-5, with a point to go up 7-5, but were unable to close it out and their Ram opponents took 3 straight games to win the match. Scott and Cheryl Kukkonen hung close, but could never get the match evened up. Interestingly, the Rams #2 and #3 teams both employed the seldom-seen “2-back on the serve” formation and won a surprising number of those games.
The Danes needed four singles wins, but were unable to make any headway dropping the #4,5,6 and 3 matches, respectively, before the top two singles matches had completed their first sets. For the next hour+, everyone was watching Gherman (#1) and Scott (#2). Gherman got off to a commanding 5-2 lead only to have her opponent charge back with five straight games to take the first set. Undaunted, the Dane grad student kept attacking the solid baseliner, Emery, to take the second set 6-4. The Ram senior edged Gherman 10-7 in the decisive match-tiebreak.
Scott, meanwhile, played yet another strong outdoor match, this one on slow courts with a moderate wind. The freshman did a good job of point building and even some good defense when needed. Then when she got the shot she was looking for she went into attack mode with her aggressive forehand to take charge of the point. Still it was a real battle against a quality opponent, compounded by an injury to Scott’s leg, a strain of the calf muscle, which she managed to work through in this 2+ hour conclusion to the Rams’ Senior Day.
The Danes have a quick turnaround. They take on the Providence Friars Sunday morning before heading back to campus and their last regular season match vs. conference rival Hartford on Thursday in Hartford.
UALBANY 1 RHODE ISLAND 6
Doubles:
1. Lopez-Gherman (UA) def. Leikam-Leikam (URI) 8-1
2. Uy-Asocaraj (URI) def. Scott-Kukkonen (UA) 8-6
3. Emery-Wojciak (URI) def. Brooks-Iannone (UA) 8-6*
Order of finish: 1,2,3.
*Doubles point clincher.
Singles:
1. Pam Emery (URI) def. Livia Gherman (UA) 7-5,4-6,1-0(7)
2. Kirsten Scott (UA) def. Kirsten Leikam (URI) 7-6(2),7-5
3. Tristany Leikam (URI) def. Cheryl Kukkonen (UA) 6-0,6-3
4. Kathleen Uy (URI) def. Sarah Iannone (UA) 6-1,6-0
5. Nithila Asocaraj (URI) def. Aubrey Brooks (UA) 6-3,6-0
6. Karolina Wojciak (URI) def. Francine White (UA) 6-1,6-1 $
Order of finish: 4,5,6,3,1,2.
$ Match clincher
UALBANY RECORDS: 8-13 (Overall); 0-4 (AmericaEast)
NEXT MATCH: Sunday, April 15, 10:00 a.m. @ Providence College
Adirondack Tennis 