A week ago, Binghamton University men’s tennis player Sven Vloedgraven won the ITA Northeast Regional Singles Championship and the two-time champion was all the rage in the college tennis world. It seems senior Anna Edelman didn’t want Vloedgraven to have all the attention. Edelman, the No. 108-ranked player according to the ITA, advanced to the finals of the ITA Northeast Regional Championships in Hanover, N.H. before losing to freshman Connie Hsu from the University of Pennsylvania 7-5, 7-6(0).
Edelman, seeded sixth in the tournament, dominated throughout the competition and only lost one set prior to the championship match. The runner-up finish was also a historic one for Edelman, as she became the first Bearcat to advance past the fourth round in the Northeast Regional Singles Championship.
‘It was very exciting to play in the ITA Regional Tournament because all the best players from the region participated in it,’ Edelman said. ‘I’m very happy with my performance, I definitely didn’t think I would get to the final. My teammates and my coaches were so supportive, which helped me a lot.’
Edelman teamed up with senior Lauren Bates, junior Marina Bykovskaya and junior Jillian Santos to give BU one of its best team results in recent memory. Bates and Bykovskaya advanced to the second round and Santos advanced to the round of 32 before falling to No. 15 Elizabeth Epstein. Despite the third-round finish from Santos, there was high hope prior to the tournament that she would advance further, as she made it to the fourth round in this tournament last year.
Not only did Edelman and the rest of the Bearcats impress in the singles draw, they were equally thrilling in the doubles draw. A team of junior Emma Leibowicz and Bates advanced to the round of 32, but once again Edelman was the main story. Edelman and Bykovskaya, who were both named first-team All-Conference at the first doubles position last year, partnered up and once again didn’t disappoint. In the round of 64, they didn’t lose a game and their first challenge came in the round of 16 from Olga Khmylev and Veronica Corning from Boston College. In the end, Edelman and Bykovskaya proved to be too much for them to handle, defeating them 8-4. Unfortunately, Edelman and Bykovskaya were eventually upset in the quarterfinals by the No. 9-seeded team from Columbia University.
‘I was very pleased with how all five members of the team performed this weekend. We made some great strides this fall as a team,’ said Bearcats head coach Libby McGovern.
The ITA Northeast Regionals was the last tournament scheduled for the fall season for BU . With the strong results from the tournament, the women’s tennis team goes into the break with momentum that they are hoping will carry them through the Cornell Winter Invitational at the end of January. Considering how well the team has played up until now, and with Edelman leading the way, the Bearcats are in prime position to compete for the America East title once again this spring.