Buffalo Selected To Win 2020 MAC Women’s Tennis Regular Season;
Miami Tabbed As 2020 MAC Women’s Tennis Tournament Champions

CLEVELAND, OH – In the 2020 preseason poll conducted among the Mid-American Conference women’s tennis coaches, the University at Buffalo was selected to win the MAC Women’s Tennis regular season title, while the Miami RedHawks were picked to win the 2020 MAC Women’s Tennis Tournament Championship.

Buffalo finished first in the preseason poll with a total of 77 total points and five first place votes as the top program.  Miami ranked second in the preseason poll with a total of 76 points and four first place votes as the regular season runner-up.

Last season, Miami won the MAC Women’s Tennis Championship for the sixth time in program history as the No. 1 seed with a 4-3 win over No. 2 seed Akron.  Miami also won the regular season title for the 23rd time in program history as the RedHawks closed the season by winning nine consecutive matches before entering the NCAA Tournament.

Buffalo finished first in the preseason poll and head coach Kristen Maines will have sophomore Pia Schwarz, who was named a 2019 All-MAC Second Team selection, to lead the Bulls.  Schwarz, a native of Singen, Germany, finished with an 18-9 overall record at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, and a 31-11 overall record in No. 1 and No. 2 doubles last season. Senior Emel Abibula, junior Gabrella Akopyan, sophomore’s Nikoleta Antoniou-Karademitrou, Gabriella Kivovich and Hsin-Yuan Shih, freshmen Ambre Amat, Azra Deniz Comlek, Lolina Schietekat Sedas and Alexis Tensfeldt will add depth to the Bulls roster.

Miami finished second in the preseason poll and head coach Ricardo Rosas, who was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2019, will look toward sophomore Brindtha Ramasamy and junior Milana Lysova to lead the RedHawks.  Ramasamy, a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was the 2019 MAC Newcomer of the Year and was named an All-MAC First Team selection as she finished with a 13-4 overall record at No. 1 singles and 8-8 overall record at No. 1 doubles last season. Lysova, a native of Almaty, Kazakhstan, was named All-MAC Second Team last season and added a 7-12 overall record at No. 2 singles and a 6-11 overall record at No. 1 doubles last year.  Junior’s Lena Babunski, Melati Devi, Janelle Ghanem, Priyana Kalita and Makenzie Myers and sophomore Laura Rico round out the RedHawks roster.

Ball State ranked third in the preseason poll and head coach Max Norris will look to senior Rebecca Herrington and junior Victoria Sec to lead the Cardinals. Herrington, a native of Alliston, Ontario, Canada, registered an impressive 17-2 overall singles record at No. 3 and No. 4 singles and played at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles last season. Sec, a native of New York, N.Y., played primarily at No. 5 and No. 6 singles last season and posted a 14-3 overall record in doubles action last season. Junior Lilya Hadab, sophomore Livia Lukacs and freshmen Jessica Braun, Amy Kaplan and Emma Peeler complete the Cardinals roster.

Akron finished fourth in the preseason poll and first-year head coach Brian Peters takes over the Zips program that fell in the MAC Tournament Championship match as the No. 2 seed, 4-3 to No. 1 seed Miami.  The Zips will search to replace 2019 MAC Player of the Year and two-time All-MAC First Team selection Sophia Geier.  Akron will have junior’s Miruna Vasilescu and Anna Uljanov and senior Rita Pedrosa to lead the Zips. Vasilescu, a native of Ulm, Germany, was named a 2019 All-MAC First Team selection and posted a 19-4 overall record at No. 2 singles and a 17-6 overall record at No. 1 doubles last season. Uljanov, a native of Schweinfurt, Germany, was named a 2019 All-MAC Second Team selection finished with a 17-5 overall mark at No. 3 singles and a 13-6 overall record at No. 2 doubles last season.  Pedroso, a native of Porto, Portugal, added 15-7 overall record and No. 4 and No. 5 singles and a 17-6 overall record at No. 2 doubles last year. Junior Jemi Aguilar, sophomore’s Enya Forgaci, Holland Long and Claudia Cecilia Rosas Garcias and freshmen Tanja Derowski and Aliona Kruglov complete the Zips roster.

Western Michigan placed fifth in the preseason poll and head coach Ryan Tomlinson will look toward sophomore Femke Tjon-A-Joe to lead the Broncos.  Tjon-A-Joe, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, finished with a 9-6 overall record at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles and 15-4 overall record at No. 2 doubles last season. Senior Gabriela Slavova, junior’s Jeryn Jack and Valerie Riegraf, sophomore’s Kaitlyn Rogosch, Taylor Smith, Kristina Tiraspolsky and Elizabeth Trupp and freshman Lindsey Zieglar round out the Broncos roster.

Toledo ranked sixth in the preseason poll and head coach Tracy Mauntler will look for senior Dee Dee Leenabanchong to lead the Rockets.  Leenabanchong, a native of Bangkok, Thailand, posted a 7-11 overall record at No. 1 singles and a 9-9 overall record at No. 1 doubles last season.  Grad student Zina Mehikic, junior Patricia Panta, sophomore’s Eileen Carney and Christina Fuller and freshmen Laura Morera and Sloane Teske will add depth to the Rockets roster.

Bowling Green finished seventh in the preseason poll and head coach Stephanie Dalmachio will look toward senior’s Marharita-Sophia Tavpash and Ayumi Sasaki to lead the Falcons.  Tavpash, a native of Lviv, Ukraine, posted a 12-7 overall record at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 singles and a 13-5 overall record at No. 1 doubles last season.  Sasaki, a native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, added a 11-9 overall record at No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 singles and a 13-7 overall record at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles last year. Junior’s Marta Bettinelli and Yulia Kapitanova, sophomore Laura Silveira and freshmen Majo Magro and Ioanna Tsadari will complete the Falcons roster.

Eastern Michigan returns to the MAC with women’s tennis for the 2020 season.  Eastern Michigan head coach Jayson Wiseman will look to senior’s Essence Eaton and Marie Mayerova to lead the Eagles.  Junior Vasavi Ganesan, sophomore’s Julia Piatek and Natalia Regalado and freshmen Emma-Lou Pommiers and Isabelle Popma complete the Eagles roster.

Northern Illinois rounded out the preseason poll and first-year head coach Eric Burns will look to senior Brodie Walker and junior Maria Potsi to lead the Huskies. Walker, a native of Bristol, England, finished with a 7-11 overall record at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 singles and a 3-11 overall record at No. 2 doubles last season. Potsi, a native of Athens, Greece, finished with an 8-5 overall record at No. 2 singles and a 12-12 overall record at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles last season.  Senior’s Mary Ellen Green and Jovana Peric, junior’s Gabriella Kaminski and Lara Slisko, sophomore’s Julia Dmitrieva, Fernanda Naves, Christy Robinson and Paula Veyhle will add depth to the Huskies roster.

The 2020 tournament is slated for April 24-26 on the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

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

2020 MAC Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll Voting
1. Buffalo (77)
2. Miami (76)
3. Ball State (59)
4. Akron (49)
5. Western Michigan (40)
6. Toledo (38)
7. Bowling Green (35)
8. Eastern Michigan (18)
9. Northern Illinois (13)
 
(total points based on 9 points for a first-place vote; 8 for second-place, etc.)
 
First place votes: Buffalo (5), Miami (4).
 
Tournament winner votes: Miami (7), Buffalo (2).