The Binghamton University women’s tennis team wasn’t supposed to be a legitimate threat to end Boston University’s unstoppable 14-year reign as America East Champions.
Maybe if NCAA rules were amended, and Zeynep Altinay and Lya Kushnirovich had been given a fifth year of eligibility, maybe they could have been a threat. But without them?
Starting freshmen at the top three singles spots; it was going to be a rebuilding year.
But the Bearcats are as legit a threat as any, and “rebuilding” is not a word in the team’s vocabulary.
Anna Edelman and Lauren Bates, co-winners of Pipe Dream’s 2008 Female Rookie of the Year award, are the biggest reasons for that.
After polling the staff, Bates and Edelman, doubles partners who sport a 14-2 when they play together, came out tied for the top spot.
We didn’t want to cop out and we’re not. It’s impossible to pick one of these girls over the other and the fact that they’re partners only sealed the deal.
There are arguments. Edelman played No. 1 singles, but Bates opened the year with 10 straight wins. Bates won more matches overall, but Edelman had the edge in dual meets. Bates was champion of the Binghamton Invitational, while Edelman hasn’t surrendered a point in America East play.
In duals, the fab freshmen have combined to go 27-7 in singles in addition to their stellar doubles play. That’s basically a guaranteed two points, and it doubles your chances of winning the doubles point. Having both Bates and Edelman on the team is like having Mariano Rivera: Even if the whole team doesn’t excel, it’s OK because Edelman and Bates will. The Yankees only need to lead for seven innings, the rest of the Bearcats just need to split.
And now a “rebuilding” team will head into this weekend’s AE Championship and hope youth can be served for at least one more weekend.
Collegiate tennis is an oddity in the sports world. It is, at its heart, an individual game, but one where your team must be solid from top to bottom to win. One great player does not make a team. That’s why this award goes to both Edelman and Bates. One could not be as successful without the other, not to the extent that they have excelled this year.
Why should we have to choose when Binghamton tennis fans don’t have to?