The women's tennis team secured another win over the weekend, beating a conference rival in preparation to make a run in the postseason.
Buffalo (7-11, 3-5 Mid-American Conference) bested Northern Illinois (10-11, 3-5 MAC) 5-2 on Sunday. The Bulls earned a No. 6 seed in the MAC tournament with the win.
It was senior day for Northern Illinois but it was the youth of the Bulls that won the day. Northern Illinois came out on fire and dominated early, sweeping the doubles competition. The Huskies couldn't compete in the singles competition, as the Bulls went on to win five of the six singles matches with their only loss coming in a three set battle.
Sophomore Tanvi Shah crushed her opponent in straight sets winning 6-0, 6-4, setting the tone for the rest of the match.
Fellow sophomore Marta Stoyanova also had an easy time with her opponent, disposing her in straight sets 6-3, 7-6. Stoyanova, who has changed her practice regimen to sharpen her accuracy, has seen gradual improvement in her game over the season.
Sophomores Miranda Podlas and Anamaria Candanoza also won their matches in straight sets. The lone loser was junior Kira Golenko, who had a competitive match but ultimately fell in three sets.
The victory comes at an opportune time for the Bulls, losers of their previous three matches. The win serves as a confidence booster.
Buffalo has not fared well in the conference tournament of late, failing to advance past the second round for three consecutive seasons.
The Bulls look to change their fortunes this season and win the conference tournament, and they will need their best players to be playing at a high level.
The Bulls will be looking to Shah and Stoyanova to be playing at the top of their games as they look to win their second Mid-American conference championship.
The conference championship will be hosted by Northern Illinois. The Bulls' first round matchup is against Western Michigan, a team the Bulls beat earlier in the season.
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