UAlbany Women's Tennis Heads Home to Host Two Conference Matches

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The University at Albany women's tennis team will host two America East matches this weekend at Varsity Court. First, the Great Danes play Binghamton University on Friday, April 5 followed by UMBC on Sunday, April 7. Match times are set for 2:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., respectively. UAlbany (5-10, 1-1 AE) will conclude regular season conference play with a third-straight America East match against Stony Brook University on April 12. LAST MATCH UAlbany dropped a match at Bryant University, 4-3, on Friday, March 29. Junior Rocio Lopez won two matches with freshmen Cat Crummey and Mireille Hermans also taking home singles victories. The loss concluded a four-game roadstand. SCOUTING OPPONENTS Binghamton: The Bearcats are 3-11 (0-1 AE) on the season. They were defeated by America East opponent Boston U., 1-6, on Jan. 27. Freshman Sarah Kohtz is a team-best 8-12 in singles play. Binghamton’s best win came against Pittsburgh. They defeated the Panthers, 4-3. The Bearcats have just one upperclassman, senior Jessie Rubin. They have four freshman and two sophomores.   UMBC: The Retrievers currently sit at 4-12 (0-1 AE) in 2013. They lost their only conference match of the season at Stony Brook, 2-5, on Friday, March 29. Junior Josefin Stange-Jonsson has won her last two singles matches, including a 6-4-, 6-4 victory over James Madison. UMBC defeated Drexel, 7-0, on Feb. 23 in one of their best showings this season.    HOME SWEET HOME UAlbany has won all five of their matches in 2013 as hosts. They’ve put together a 5-2 record in home match play. This included a three-game win streak to begin March. Over the span, the Great Danes defeated Rhode Island University, crosstown rival Siena College, and America East opponent, the University of Hartford. The statistic bodes well for UAlbany as they host two conference opponents this weekend. They are currently coming off their longest roadstand of the season (four matches). LOPEZ LOOKS TO MATCH 2012 TOTALS Rocio Lopez has twice been named America East Player of the Week in 2013 on her way to a team-best 11-3 record in dual singles play. Last season, Lopez was selected as the 2011-12 Team MVP and also honored to the America East All-Conference First Team. She claimed UAlbany's best record in both singles and doubles, 12-5 and 15-4, respectively. With five matches remaining, Lopez will look to surpass her win totals from last season.    TOP-HEAVY DANES The Great Danes have been tough to beat at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles this season. They’ve combined to go 18-12 (.666). Lopez, graduate student Irene Santos-Bravo and sophomore Kirsten Scott have all contributed to the win-total this season. UMBC TO HOST 2013 AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT The 2013 America East Tennis Championship will be held at UMBC from April 26-28. Last season UAlbany was defeated by Stony Brook, 4-1, in the first round of the tournament. They went on to win over Hartford, 4-0, in the consolation bracket. Be sure to check back to the official UAlbany women’s tennis website for 2013 tournament details. WORLD-RANKED SPANIARD TAKES TALENT TO UALBANY Head coach Gordon Graham announced the signing of Irene Santos-Bravo for the team's 2013 spring season. Santos-Bravo, a globally-recognized singles player, has ranked as high as No. 18 in Spain and No. 443 in the world by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Santos-Bravo has slotted into the top three singles spots, compiling a 3-5 dual record. NO PLACE(S) LIKE HOME UAlbany will split time at three different locations for home matches this season. These include Tri-City Fitness, 944 New Loudon Road, Latham, N.Y.; SPORTIME, 2699 Curry Road, Schenectady, N.Y. and Varsity Court on the University campus. Matches will be at the specified location on the following dates. Tri-City Fitness: Feb. 1, Feb. 10 and March 13; SPORTIME: Feb. 9 (rescheduled for University bubble), March 3 and March 9; Varsity Court: April 5 and April 7. View the entire spring schedule. NEW YEAR; SAME FACES UAlbany returns five of seven players from last season. They are led by Rocio Lopez who will play No. 1 singles for the Great Danes this season. They also return sophomores Cheryl Kukkonen, Kirsten Scott, Fran White and senior Sarah Iannone.