There were a lot of hungry students on campus breaking the Yom Kippur fast this weekend. But if anyone was really hungry, it was the Binghamton University women’s tennis team starving for some recognition.
Lost in the success of the men’s soccer team has been the women’s quiet, yet successful start to their fall season. Led by freshman Lauren Bates, Binghamton left the Quinnipiac Invitational this weekend with two titles in hand. Bates was the star of the tournament, capturing the ‘B’ flight singles title along with the ‘A’ flight doubles title. After receiving a first round bye, Bates romped through the rest of the draw, gutting out two tough three-set matches along the way. Bates rolled through the doubles draw with partner freshman Anna Edelman as the two dropped just four games as Bates picked up her second title of the weekend. Through two tournaments, Bates has an undefeated record of 6-0 in both singles and doubles.
Edelman enjoyed her own solid run in the invitational as well. Playing in the ‘A’ flight singles draw, Edelman got to the semifinals and won a statement match over Corniellia Carapcea of rival UMBC. She eventually lost a tough match to Mary Wilson of Quinnipiac, but still liked how the team played over the weekend.
‘I liked how we played this weekend. We did really well in the doubles,’ said Edelman, who is now is now 5-1 in singles and 6-0 in doubles for the season.
The team’s third freshman, Yulia Smirnova, also played well over the weekend, advancing to the quarterfinals of the ‘A’ flight singles draw. Smirnova bolstered her singles record to 4-1. Junior Alex Sinclair lost her first round match in the ‘D’ flight singles draw, but then proceeded to win two matches in the consolation rounds. She is now 3-3 on the year.
It was a very productive weekend overall for the women’s tennis team and it will look to continue its successful season this weekend when it hosts the Binghamton Invitational.