Mid-American Conference

Buffalo Selected To Win MAC Regular Season Crown In 2018 MAC Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll;
Buffalo and Miami Share Selection For Tournament Title In Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll

Cleveland, OH – In the 2018 preseason poll conducted among the Mid-American Conference women’s tennis coaches, the University at Buffalo was selected to win the MAC regular season title and both Buffalo and Miami were selected in a tie for the MAC Women’s Tennis Tournament Championship.

In a narrow vote, a total of six votes separated the top two programs as Buffalo received 79 votes and second-place Miami received 73 votes. Ball State received 59 total votes to round out the top three.

Last season, Buffalo won the program’s second-ever MAC Women’s Tennis Tournament Championship as the Bulls ranked as the No. 3 seed defeated No. 4 seed Miami, 4-2.  Buffalo’s only other MAC Women’s Tennis Tournament Championship came during the 2008 season and the Bulls earned the MAC’s automatic berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament.

Buffalo finished first in the preseason poll and head coach Kristen Maines will have senior Tanja Stojanovska and junior Chantal Martinez Blanco to lead the Bulls. Stojanovska, a native of Ohrid, Macedonia, was named 2017 All-MAC First Team selection as she posted a 9-5 overall record at singles and a 13-3 overall doubles record. Chantal Martinez Blanco, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was named 2017 All-MAC Second Team selection with a 11-8 overall singles record and a 14-4 overall doubles mark. Senior Lolade Ogungbesan, junior’s Sanjana Sudhir, Haley Hollins, Mercedes Losada Rubio, Arianna Paules Aldrey, sophomore’s Emel Abibula, Anna Savchenko and Sydney Siembida will add depth to the Bulls roster.

Miami was selected second in the preseason poll and first year head coach Ricardo Rosas will look to senior’s Nelli Ponomareva and Anastasila Vasiukhina, along with junior Emily Struble to lead the RedHawks. Ponomareva, a native of Krasnodar, Russia, was named 2017 All-MAC Second Team selection and finished last season with a 10-11 overall singles record. A native of Moscow, Russia, Vasiukhina completed last season with an overall record of 8-19, including 7-14 in dual play. Stuble, a native of Holt, Mich., posted a team-best 25-8 singles record last season. Freshmen Lena Babunski, Melati Devi, Janelle Ghanem, Priyana Kalita, Milana Lysova and Makenzie Myers will round out the RedHawks roster.

Ball State ranked third in the preseason poll and head coach Max Norris will look toward junior Peyton Gollhofer to lead the Cardinals. Gollhofer, a native of Cartersville, Ga., was named a 2017 All-MAC Second Team selection last season after a 7-4 overall record at No. 2 singles, along with a 10-3 overall record at doubles. Junior Audrey Berger, a native of Upper Arlington, Ohio, finished with a 14-1 overall record in singles, along with a 11-6 overall doubles record. Senior Julia Sbircea, junior’s Isabelle Dohanics and Sarah Swiderski, sophomore Rebecca Herrington and freshman Victoria Sec will add depth to the Cardinals roster.

Western Michigan ranked fourth in the preseason poll and senior Barbare Eristavi and junior Melina Lyubomirova will lead the Broncos this season. A native of Tbilisi, Georgia, Eristavi posted a 14-6 overall singles record, along with an 8-11 overall doubles record. Lyubomirova, a native of Sofia, Bulgaria, went 8-13 overall in singles and finished with a 7-11 overall doubles mark. Junior’s Denise Azcui and Katja Fevralev, along with sophomore Gabriela Slavova, and freshmen Jeryn Jack and Valeria Riegraf will add depth to the Broncos roster.

Akron finished tied for fifth in the preseason poll and head coach Brandon Padgett, who was named 2017 MAC Coach of the Year, will have senior Sophia Geier to lead the Zips.  Geier was named the 2017 MAC Player of the Year and was also named All-MAC First Team selection. A native of Burgebrach, Germany, Geier posted a 22-2 overall record at No. 1 singles and finished with an 18-3 overall record at No. 2 doubles. Carlin Knezevich, a native of Austin, Texas, finished with a 14-3 overall record, along with a 19-4 overall record in doubles. Senior Waverly Wituski, junior’s Luisa Echeverry and Carla Flores, sophomore Rita Pedroso, and freshmen Anna Uljanov, Miruna Vasilescu and Madison Wolfe complete the Zips roster.

Bowling Green finished tied for fifth in the poll and second-year head coach Stephanie Dalmacio is aiming for continued growth for the Falcons program. Junior Paula Comella was named 2017 All-MAC Second Team selection.  A native of Ciutadella de Menorca, Spain, Comella had a 9-10 overall singles record, along with a 4-3 overall doubles record. Junior Polina Radeva, a native of Varna, Bulgaria, went 8-8 overall in singles and posted a 2-3 overall doubles record. Sophomore Marharita-Sophia Tavpash, a native of Lviv, Ukraine, finished with a 3-12 overall singles mark, along with a 4-3 doubles record. Sophomore Ayumi Sasaki and freshmen Marta Bettinelli, Vanesa Pardo, Sidney Reineke and Theresa Wassmann round out the Falcons roster.

Toledo finished seventh in the preseason poll and will be led by sophomore Mimi Kendall-Woseley, who was named 2017 All-MAC Second Team last season.  A native of Boca Raton, Fla., Kendall-Woseley posted a 14-7 overall singles record last year, including a 7-11 overall doubles record. Sophomore Dee Dee Leenabanchong, a native of Bangkok, Thailand, went 10-11 overall in singles, along with an 11-9 overall doubles mark. Senior’s Sidnay Huck, Megan Miller and Colleen O’Brien, along with junior Claire Aleck will add depth to the Rockets roster.

Northern Illinois ranked eighth in the preseason poll and will be led by seniors Abigail Dekkinga, Evelyn Youel and Michelle Erasmus. Youel, a native of Crystal Lake, Ill., posted a 10-12 overall singles record, including a 7-4 overall doubles record. A native of Allegan, Mich., Dekkinga posted a 4-3 overall record at doubles and a 9-22 overall singles record. Erasmus, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, went 2-5 overall in singles and 0-2 overall in doubles. Sophomore’s Mary Ellen Green and Brodie Walker, along with freshmen Thisuri Molligoda and Maria Potsi complete the Huskies roster.

Eastern Michigan rounded out the preseason poll and first-year head coach Jayson Wiseman will try to turn the Eagles fortunes around.  Leading Eastern Michigan will be seniors Marie Mayerova, Andrea Martinovska and Ani Gogvadze. A native of Krmelin, Czech Republic, Mayerova posted a 9-8 overall record in singles, along with a 6-7 doubles mark. Martinovka, a native of Plzn, Czech Republic, had a 7-15 overall singles record and 9-8 overall doubles record. A native of Tbilisi, Georgia, Gogvadze went 8-14 in singles last year and posted a 9-11 overall doubles mark. Senior’s Maria Paula Ribero, Renu Sharma, Alejandra Barcelo Almoyna and Anna Veleva, along with freshmen Giuliana Ansaloni and Natalia Regalado round out the roster.

The 2018 tournament is slated for April 27-29 on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.

The complete voting totals are as follows with all nine head coaches casting votes.

2018 MAC Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll Voting
1. Buffalo (79)
2. Miami (73)
3. Ball State (59)
4. Western Michigan (42)
t-5. Akron (40)
t-5. Bowling Green (40)
7. Toledo (38)
8. Northern Illinois (20)
9. Eastern Michigan (14)
 
(total points based on 9 for a first-place vote; 8 for second-place, etc.)
 
First place votes: Buffalo (7), Miami (2).
 
Tournament winner votes: Buffalo (4), Miami (4), Ball State (1).