With the regular season completed, the Binghamton University women’s tennis team looks to ride the momentum of a six-game winning streak this weekend as it prepares to participate in the America East tournament at the Yale Tennis Center in New Haven, Conn.
Following two solid victories last weekend, the team will hold the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive tournament, earning another shot at the America East title. Last season, the Bearcats lost to Boston University in the America East finals, by a final score of 4-3. The Terriers enter this year’s tournament with the No. 2 seed, seeking their 18th straight America East title.
Despite finishing 11-8 on the regular season in dual matches, ending the season with six wins in a row could make Binghamton a dangerous team come the start of the tournament. Impressively, this marks the seventh straight season in which the team has entered the America East tournament with at least a five-game winning streak.
Probably the biggest win of the season came on April 10, when the Bearcats beat Boston University 4-3 at St. John’s University. It not only marked the first time the Bearcats beat the Terriers, but also the first time the Terriers lost in conference play going back to Boston joining the America East in 1989.
Head coach Libby McGovern is well aware of her team’s situation going in, but despite the No. 1 seed she insists her Bearcats are taking every opponent seriously.
“The No. 1 seed is a nice place to be … it’s a position of strength,” she said. “But nothing will get handed to you, and we know what we’re up against.”
With that No. 1 seed comes perks: The team does not have to play any matches on Friday, the day of the opening round, as it will be awaiting the winner of the match between No. 4 University of Maryland, Baltimore County and No. 5 University at Albany. Binghamton went a perfect 5-0 against conference opponents this season, so the Bearcats likely won’t have a preference of first-round opponent. The team beat the Great Danes 7-0 on March 18 at Albany and defeated the Retrievers 7-0 on April 9 in Maryland.
The Terriers will receive the other bye in the first round and will take on the winner of the match between No. 3 Stony Brook Seawolves and No. 6 Hartford Hawks.
Despite the bye, the Bearcats are prepared to play every opponent, including No. 2 Boston.
“We’ve played everyone in the conference and we’ve beaten everyone in the conference,” McGovern said. “This year we actually got to play Boston in the regular season, and we beat them.”
Binghamton’s veteran roster holds three program record-holders. The record for most regular season victories in a single year was set by senior Anna Edelman after she posted a 32-8 mark in singles play. Edelman, who also posted a 14-5 mark in dual matches, ranks No. 2 in the ITA Northeast Region rankings.
The record for singles wins in program history is held by senior Lauren Bates, who boasts 88 career victories in singles play. Senior Yulia Smirnova has earned 82 wins in doubles competition, also a program record.
Behind Edelman and Bates, junior Jillian Santos will compete at third singles for Binghamton. Santos, who ranks No. 20 in the ITA Northeast Region Rankings, posted a 24-10 mark in singles play this season. The Bearcats’ starting lineup rounds out with Smirnova and juniors Marina Bykovskaya and Emma Leibowicz.
Experience will likely be key in the tournament. Binghamton returned all of their players from last season’s America East Championship finals match against Boston. Edelman and Santos won at second and third singles, respectively. The doubles teams of Bates and Leibowicz at second doubles and Santos and Smirnova at third doubles secured the doubles point for the Bearcats. Edelman and Bykovskaya were leading in first doubles. However, Bates, Smirnova, Bykovskaya and Leibowicz all lost their singles matches in straight sets in the eventual loss.
With the tournament set to begin today, the Bearcats are still looking to refine their approach in the final available moments for preparation.
“We’re still trying to improve by trying to get more aggressive in doubles play, and hopefully surprise those who thought we were one-dimensional,” McGovern said.
Tournament action is scheduled to kick off today at 1 p.m., with No. 4 UMBC facing off against No. 5 Albany. Binghamton’s first match is set to take place tomorrow at 1 p.m., with the championship match slated to take place at 11 a.m. on Sunday.