It’s time for Binghamton women’s tennis to make a statement for the whole Northeast to hear.
The Bearcats are set to compete in this weekend’s ITA regionals hosted by Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. The regional tournament is a true test for the squad, as only the best players in the Northeast region are granted invitations to compete. Binghamton plans to send freshmen Anna Edelman and Lauren Bates to the event to show the entire region that BU women’s tennis program is an elite one.
Undefeated as a doubles team and a combined 19-1 in singles play, Edelman and Bates now have their first real opportunity to distinguish themselves as a dynamic duo that the area should really take notice of. However, with three of the nation’s top 50 women competing and the likes of William and Mary, Cornell and Yale sending players to the tournament, Edelman and Bates will need to come out swinging if they are to continue their winning ways over the weekend. Their head coach, Mike Stevens, is confident in their ability to do that.
‘Anna and Lauren have looked great together as a doubles team,’ Stevens said. ‘They are playing really well at the top of the lineup.’
Edelman and Bates have shown a lot of character and determination in their outstanding fall seasons and can definitely shine over the weekend at regionals. Bates opens up her campaign in the qualifying rounds against Yale freshman Lindsay Clark, who recently won a match at the USTA invite at the National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., while Edelman drew Pascaline Cette, a senior at America East rival UMBC in her first round main draw encounter. The pair will also face Taylor Marable and Melissa Saiontz of Princeton in the doubles competition.
They may be going up against some tough competition this weekend, but they have proved through their success that they belong on that level. The ITA regionals will be the Bearcats’ last event in what has become a very impressive fall season.
The season resumes in January at the Cornell Winter Invitational.