'Dancing together': MAC champion UB tennis teams travel in tandem to NCAA tournaments

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Bonded by shared training facilities and parallel pursuits, University at Buffalo's men's and women's tennis teams have long championed each other's success. Having both claimed Mid-American Conference titles this season, they will now travel together to Ohio State to compete on the same courts in the NCAA tournament.

"We like to say Buffalo is a tennis school," women's coach Kristen Maines said after the Bulls watched the NCAA bracket unveilings together at the nearby Anchor Bar. "We have a long history of success. So it's amazing that we both get to celebrate this year and go dancing together."

UB is one of only six schools in NCAA Division I to win conference championships in men's and women's tennis. The women will match up with the No. 4 overall seed Buckeyes at 1 p.m. Friday in Columbus, Ohio, and the men meet last year's national runner-up and No. 5 seed Ohio State at 3 p.m. Saturday.

"We're fired up," men's coach Lee Nickell said. "It's exciting to be in the NCAA tournament, and getting to go with the women is going to be a cool atmosphere. We've always been close. Our guys get along really well with the ladies. Coaches, we get along so well. We've had many amazing experiences together."

Appearing in the NCAA tournament for the third time in history and first since 2017, the UB men executed a remarkable turnaround from last season when they finished 0-10 in conference play. This year the Bulls went 9-1 to win the MAC regular season title and their overall record of 18-5 marked the highest victory total as a D-1 program.

"We had such a rough year going 0-10 in conference, but we had high hopes for this group coming back," said Nickell, who was named MAC coach of the year for a fourth time. "We had a good core of guys, but we needed to add some leadership. We brought in three transfers from the portal who had the best leadership qualities we could find. Everyone bonded together and the chemistry was good."

Still, dominating the MAC the way UB did was "beyond comprehension," in preseason, Nickell said.

UB's women are making their fourth NCAA tournament trip, and first since back-to-back MAC championship seasons in 2017-18. Maines stopped short of calling this a rebuilding year, but preseason hopes were measured for a team with five freshman playing prominent roles. The Bulls wound up matching the school record with 20 wins.

"This team 100% surprised me," said Maines (née Ortman), an Amherst High School graduate who was UB's all-time leader in singles and doubles victories when she finished her collegiate career in 2006, and two seasons later was an assistant under Kathy Twist when the program won its first MAC title.

"We knew it was going to be a growing year," Maines continued. "I can't give this team enough credit for their growth. They embraced, trusted and believed in our philosophies. They did everything we asked of them, and the results showed. Our goal every year is to make the MAC tournament. The MAC takes four out of eight very strong programs. We've got to earn our spot. Get in the tournament and see what happens. And this is the third time now that we've won it as the lowest seed."

UB's tennis triumphs follow a Women's National Invitation Tournament championship in basketball, and the football team's Bahamas Bowl victory. No matter the season, championships lift everyone's spirits, athletic director Mark Alnutt said.

"The thing I like to see is our student athletes supporting each other, and that championship feeling breathes throughout the majority of our programs," Alnutt said. "When any of our programs have the opportunity to win a MAC championship and represent our department and university on the national scene, that's special. We treat it as a big deal."

Excited to be playing in the NCAA tournament, the Bulls aren't just happy to be there.

"Our mentality is the same," Maines said. "We practice every day still focused on getting 1% better. And now we have the opportunity to go against an incredible school and compete with the best of the best. We have so many young players on this team that now get to see what we are working to grow into."

"When you have a team like this, you don't want the season to end," Nickell said. "We know that we are going against a team that is supposed to beat us on paper. But we'll swing for the fences like we have all year. And you never know what's going to happen."