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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
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Tennis Concludes Fall Slate At Big Green Invitational
November 02, 2017 | Tennis
Minutewomen begin final competition until Jan. 26, 2018 return to courts
| University of Massachusetts Tennis Information | |
| Event | Location | Big Green Invitational | Hanover, N.H. |
| Watch Live | Ivy League Digital Network |
| @UMassTennis | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Tennis | |
| Last Time Out | ITA Northeast Regionals: Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four |
Massachusetts at the Big Green Invitational
University of Massachusetts tennis wraps up its fall slate with a trip to the 2017 Big Green Invitational, hosted at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. Following completion of action at the Big Green Invitational, the Minutewomen take a break from play until the spring campaign begins on Jan. 26, 2018 against Providence. The upcoming tournament is a three-day event, with Ivy League Digital Network coverage on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
UMass Tennis Claims Intra-Program History At ITA Northeast Regionals
University of Massachusetts tennis posted one of its most successful ITA Northeast Regional Championship showings in team history during the 2017 holding of the event, as the Minutewomen moved singles and doubles entries all the way through to the quarterfinal round.
In doubles action, Ana Yrazusta and Laura Moreno met Drexel's Ghita Benhadi and Kendra Bunch, the No. 9 seeded pair, in the third round and prevailed 8-7 (6) for the program's second-ever berth into the quarterfinals. There, Yrazsuta and Moreno battled back and fourth with No. 4 seeded Kristina Mathis and Racquel Lyn from Dartmouth, but dropped the match, 8-5.
Ruth Crawford rolled into the quarterfinals of the singles bracket where she met No. 1 seeded Gabriela Knutson of Syracuse. Crawford dropped the match 6-0, 6-2 to the 2015-16 ITA Northeast Region Rookie of the Year and the No. 68-ranked competitor in the country during 2016-17, but joined Magdalena Plochas as one of only two Minutewomen to reach the quarterfinal round of the singles bracket at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships. In order to reach the quarterfinals, Crawford needed victories over Syracuse's Maria Tritou, No. 5 seed Ashley Zhu from the host institution, the University of Pennsylvania and Connecticut's top player, Yelyzaveta Pletnyeva.
Minutewomen Take 4-3 Dual-Match From Connecticut
University of Massachusetts tennis successfully defended the Mullins Center Courts with a 4-3 victory over visiting-Connecticut on Wed., Oct. 11. The Minutewomen won the doubles point and added victories at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 6 singles for the team's first dual match triumph of the season.
In doubles competition, Ana Yrazusta and Laura Moreno downed Jacquelyn Fitz-Randolph and Gillian Perrotta, 6-2 before Anna Napadiy and Ashley Avery clinched the doubles point with a 7-6 (5) win over Summer Walker and Jacqueline Lazaro.
Martina Bocchi (No. 6) was the first finisher in singles and posted Massachusetts to a two-point advantage when she downed Zaina Zaki, 6-2, 6-1. Crawford (No. 2) followed closely behind Bocchi and pushed the edge to three points with her 6-3, 6-3 decision against Fitz-Randolph.
The Huskies cut the lead to a pair as Lazaro won over Moreno (No. 4) by a 6-2, 6-3 score. However, Kovacevic (No. 3) silenced the comeback with her 7-5, 6-4 victory against Walker.
The Fall Schedule
UMass tennis began it's 2017-18 schedule at the Brown Invitational with competition from Sept. 22-24 - the first of five scheduled events for the Minutewomen during the fall. The team won matches over Rutgers Stony Brook while Ana Yrazusta was named the tournament champion at No. 1 singles.
Massachusetts followed up the Brown Invitational with a second Ivy League-hosted event, the Bulldog Invitational (Oct. 6-8) at Yale University, during which the Minutewomen capped the tournament with a rousing team victory over No. 2 regionally and No. 48 nationally-ranked Harvard. The Minutewomen have a third Ivy League tournament on the docket this fall as well, the Big Green Invitational (Nov. 3-5) at Dartmouth.
Additionally, the Minutewomen partook in the 2017 Northeast ITA Regional on Oct. 19-23. The lone home event was the Wed., Oct. 11 head-to-head match-up with the University of Connecticut, which Massachusetts won by a 4-3 score.
Juancarlos Nunez Returns To Massachusetts Tennis As Head Coach
A familiar face returns to the Mullins Center courts in 2017-18 as the University of Massachusetts welcomes Juancarlos "JC" Nunez back to the tennis program as the team's head coach. Nunez spent the last two years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Brown University following a six-year stint as the assistant coach for the Minutewomen. He succeeds legendary coach Judy Dixon, who retired following the 2016-17 season after leading UMass to an Atlantic 10 Championship title and the NCAA Tournament.
At Brown, Nunez helped guide a pair of All-Ivy League selections in 2015-16 and 2016-17. He coached the leading doubles pair of Alyza Benotto and Dayna Lord to the program's highest national ranking (No. 45) in program history. In addition to his on-the-court work, Nunez was also responsible for all academic supervision, assisting with fundraising efforts, and coordination of recruiting, social media and compliance work.
In his time with the Minutewomen (2009-15), Nunez helped the program post six-consecutive winning seasons including a pair of finals appearances in the Atlantic 10 Championships alongside two other semifinal appearances. He was named the ITA Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2013.
Overall, Nunez helped 16 players earn All-Atlantic 10 honors highlighted by rising senior Ana Yrzusta's 2015 A-10 Most Outstanding Rookie accolade. Additionally, UMass was tabbed an ITA All-Academic Team twice during his tenure while 19 Minutewomen were named ITA Scholar-Athletes. Nunez assembled four top-25 recruiting classes in his six years with Dixon as well.
Prior to UMass, Nunez served as an assistant coach for the women's tennis team at his alma mater, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, in 2008-09.
Seaborne Joins UMass Tennis Program As Assistant Coach
University of Massachusetts tennis head coach Juancarlos Nunez announced the hiring of Ruth Seaborne as an assistant coach on Thursday. Seaborne joins the Minutewomen following time spent on the staffs at Iowa, her alma mater, and Utah State.
Seaborne spent the 2016-17 school year as a volunteer assistant women's tennis coach at Iowa. In her role, she worked on the daily management of the program, including with head and assistant coaches to plan and lead drills and practices. Simultaneously, she assisted with travel and supervision of the team to away dual matches. The Hawkeyes put forth a 16-9 overall record during her campaign, which included Big Ten victories over Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State and Wisconsin.
Prior to her campaign as a volunteer assistant at Iowa, Seaborne served as an assistant coach for Utah State women's tennis. She worked daily with the team's student-athletes on and off the court while delved into national and international recruiting. Seaborne was also responsible for the team's match scheduling and managed Utah State women's tennis' player and team equipment.
Seaborne graduated for the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in psychology in May, 2015 following two seasons as a standout for the Hawkeyes. She was an All-Big Ten First Team honoree and team MVP in 2013 and 2014
Seaborne transferred to Iowa following two seasons at Florida State University in 2011 and 2012. During her time with the Seminoles, Seaborne helped the squad reach the NCAA Tournament twice, while she helped FSU reach the school's first-ever ACC Final in 2011. She was ranked nationally during all four years as a student-athlete at Florida State (2011-12) and Iowa (2013-14), and reached as high as No. 28 in doubles and No. 54 in singles.
Massachusetts Wins 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship
For the first time since 2001, the UMass women's tennis team advanced to the NCAA Tournament after the Minutewomen won the Atlantic 10 Championship title on Sun., April 30 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. The second-seeded Minutewomen defeated four-time defending champion and top-seeded VCU 4-2 in a thrilling match that saw Anna Woosley earn the winning point at No. 4 singles in her third set.
Woosley sealed the title for UMass (12-7) in dramatic fashion. After losing her first set at No. 4 singles, the senior battled back to win her second set 6-4. She led 3-1 in the third set before VCU's Darya Berezhnaya fought back to tie at 3-3.  The 58 minute match saw Woosley win the next two games to go up 5-3. Berezhnaya fought back to tie the ninth game 40-40, but the native of West Sussex, England played a cross-court backhand that was returned out-of-bounds. As she realized the match-securing point was hers, Woosley collapsed on the court as her teammates ran over to mob her in celebration.
UMass Tennis On Social Media
Follow University of Massachusetts tennis on social media throughout the season via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (UMassTennis).
Players Mentioned
