University of Massachusets Athletics

Sunday, April 8
New York, N.Y.
3:00 PM

University of Massachusetts

at

Fordham

Sarah Mezini - 2017-18 Tennis Photo Shoot
Photo by: Thom Kendall - UMass Athletics

Massachusetts Tennis Returns To A-10 Action At Fordham

April 06, 2018 | Tennis

Minutewomen square off with Rams at 1 p.m. on Sunday

AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts tennis program continues its road trek and returns to conference action with a trip to Fordham on Sun., April 8. The Maroon and White enter the match at 8-5 overall and 1-1 in Atlantic 10 competition while Quinnipiac sits at 4-7 overall and also 1-1 in the A-10.

The Last Time: Fordham
Massachusetts took two meetings with Fordham from the Rams during the 2016-17 season, including a 5-2 win on Senior Day (April 23, 2017) and a 4-0 shutout during the Atlantic 10 Championship Semifinal Round (April 29). The win over the Rams in the A-10 semifinals earned UMass its seventh-ever berth into the Atlantic 10 Championship Match. Anna Woosley's 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles proved the match winner. Ruth Crawford earned a straight set win at No. 2 singles, while Ana Yrazusta picked up a 6-0, 6-2 victory in No. 3 play. The Minutewomen opened the day by earning the doubles point over the Rams. Crawford and Woosley won 6-0 in the No. 1 match followed by a 6-2 win for Yrazusta and Janja Kovacevic at No. 2 doubles.

Minutewomen Earn Historic Win At Yale
University of Massachusetts tennis won for the fifth time in its last seven matches when the Minutewomen downed Ivy League foe Yale, 4-3 in New Haven, Connecticut, on Sat., March 24. The Maroon and White rallied from a deficit that nearly handed the doubles point to the Bulldogs and carried energy into singles action for wins by Ana Yrazusta (No. 2), Janja Kovacevic (No. 3) and Martina Bocchi (No. 6). It marked the first ever win for Massachusetts tennis over an Ivy League foe.

After the Bulldogs won at No. 2 and Massachusetts responded with a 6-3 victory by Yrazusta and Laura Moreno at the No. 1, the double point came down to Ruth Crawford and Ashley Avery against Lauren Gillinov and Sunday Swett at No. 3 spot. Gillinov and Swett looked assured of the victory ahead 5-4 (40-0); however, Crawford and Avery saved four consecutive match points and rallied back for the 7-5 victory, and the doubles point.

Bocchi doubled the lead and made quick work of Caroline Amos via a 6-2, 6-2 score at No. 6 singles, though Yale answered at No. 5 shortly thereafter with Elizabeth Zordani's 6-0, 6-3 win over Anna Napadiy. Yrazusta extended the Massachusetts lead with her triumph at No. 2 singles, earned versus Amy Yang by a 6-2, 6-1 margin. The Bulldogs continued their comeback battle as Samantha Martinelli downed Crawford in the No. 1 spot, 6-4, 6-1.

With Kovacevic and Moreno still in action at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, respectively, Kovacevic sealed the team victory with her 6-4, 6-2 conquest over Valerie Shklover.

Success At Charlotte And Elon Spur Minutewomen Down South
UMass won two of its three matches during its North Carolina road trip as the Maroon and White bested Charlotte, 4-3 and Elon, 4-1. It marked the sixth and seventh victories on the year for the Minutewomen.

The Minutewomen won four times in singles play for the team victory, capped by Ruth Crawford's improbable comeback triumph at No. 1 singles. Crawford willed herself, and the team, to victory despite dropping the first set. She later trailed in the deciding third set 6-5 (40-0) before the junior from Atlanta, Georgia, reeled off the comeback despite being down four points for the 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) triumph and the corresponding on-court team celebration.

University of Massachusetts tennis competed for the second time in as many days on its North Carolina road trip and took a 4-1 match from Elon University. Wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles sealed the first point of the afternoon for the Minutewomen as the team's top two pairing took care of Elon. Ana Yrazusta and Laura Moreno battled by Alex Koniaev and Maria Paraja 6-4 while Ruth Crawford and Ashley Avery bested Olivia Lucas and Montana Moore 6-3.

Massachusetts Weekend Sweeps Black Knights, Bonnies
UMass tennis compiled a pair of 4-0 shutouts of Army West Point and St. Bonaventure in its last time on the court, a two-match series in West Point, New York, on Sat., Feb. 17 and Sun., Feb. 18.

The Minutewomen won over Army West Point at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles as Janja Kovacevic combined with Martina Bocchi for a 6-1 win before Ashley Avery and Ruth Crawford achieved the same feat of success. Ana Yrazusta, Kovacevic and Laura Moreno took home singles victories for the 4-0 outcome.

Short-handed St. Bonaventure was unable to keep pace with the Minutewomen, who picked up a pair of wins on forfeit, including one at No. 3 doubles for Jovana Bogicevic and Ana Napadiy and No. 6 singles by Avery. Yrazusta and Kovacevic added singles victories at No. 2 and No. 3, resepctively, for the team triumph.

Minutewomen Down St. John's For Second Spring Win
University of Massachusetts tennis rallied back for a 4-3 victory over St. John's at the Bay Road Tennis Club on Sunday afternoon. The Minutewomen put forth the comeback effort with victories at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 singles after the team dropped the doubles point.

Ana Yrazusta put Massachusetts on the scoreboard with her 6-3, 6-1 win over Zofia Stanisz at No. 2 singles. After Kajsa Stegrell downed Laura Moreno 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4 singles, Janja Kovacevic evened the team score at two-all with her 6-2, 7-6 triumph over Collins. Ruth Crawford fought through a three-set battle with Olaya Inclan Solis at No. 1 singles and worked her way to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victory over St. John's top competitor. Anna Napadiy secured the Minutewomen their team win with her clutch performance at No. 5 singles, during which she outworked Nina Marjanovic en route to the 6-4, 6-2 win.

Maroon and White Collect First Spring Win
Massachusetts swept Bryant, 7-0, for its first win of the spring season. The Minutewomen did not drop a match in the process as they won all three doubles pairings before taking six singles victories. Ana Yrazusta and Laura Moreno battles for a 7-6 (7-5) win at No. 1 doubles after Ruth Crawford and Janja Kovacevic (No. 2) and Anna Napadiy and Ashley Avery (No. 3) won handily, 6-1 and 6-2, respectively.

Crawford provided a dramatic match win at No. 1 singles over Ashanti Campfield 6-1, 6-4. After handily winning the first set, Crawford trailed in the second set, 3-0, before she won six of the next seven games for the victory. Moreno also rallied for a win at No. 4 singles over Stefanie Arroyo 2-6, 6-4 (10-6).

UMass Tennis Fall Season Recap
Massachusetts challenged itself throughout the fall season with trips to the Brown Invitational, Bulldog Invitational and Big Green Invitational, alongside a home dual match victory over Connecticut and a trip to the ITA Northeast Regionals. Playing in a mock dual match format at each of the invitationals, the Minutewomen claimed team victories over Harvard, Rutgers, Stony Brook and Yale.

The Maroon and White collected a victory in their lone home contest of the fall, an Oct. 11, 2017 tilt with regional rival Connecticut. Massachusetts continued its recent dominance over the Huskies via wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, as well as singles victories from Ruth Crawford (No. 2), Janja Kovacevic (No. 3) and Martina Bocchi (No. 6). It marked the sixth team victory for UMass in the most recent seven meetings between the sides.

Individual play at the ITA Northeast Regionals netted one of the best outcomes in program history. Crawford reached the quarterfinal round with victories over Syracuse's Maria Tritou, No. 5 seed Ashley Zhu of Penn and Connecticut's Yelyzaveta Pletnyeva. In doing so, she became just the second Minutewoman to advance through to the quarterfinals. Simultaneously, Ana Yrazusta and Laura Moreno also advanced to the quarterfinals of the doubles bracket with victories over LIU Brooklyn, No. 5 seed Syracuse and No. 9 seed Drexel. Combining Crawford's work in singles and Yrazusta and Moreno's success in doubles, 2017 marked the first time Massachusetts sent a singles player and a doubles pair into the quarterfinal round.

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.

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.

UMass Tennis On Social Media
Follow University of Massachusetts tennis on social media throughout the season via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (UMassTennis).

Next Event

Fordham
W, 6-1

Apr 8 (Sun)

3:00 PM

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