Under the watchful eye of second year head coach Anca Dumitrescu, the RedHawks clinched their fourth-straight regular season Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship.

However, No. 1 seeded Miami fell to the 2 seed University of Akron Zips in the MAC Tournament title game in DeKalb, Ill. for the second year in a row in a 4-3 decision.

Miami (15-10) put together many successful runs over the course of the season. They went a perfect 8-0 in MAC play, finished the regular season with an unblemished home record (6-0), went on a 10-game winning streak during the season and improved their winning streak against MAC opponents to a staggering 33 games.

The seniors on the roster left a tremendous impact on the RedHawk tennis program. Senior Stephanie Danesis tied for most wins in singles play in program history, going 14-7 in the regular season and went undefeated in MAC play. Senior Rieke Honiball made her biggest contributions in doubles, where she is 19-11 (6-2 MAC) and is a player that complements her teammates’ abilities well. Senior Jessica Parr also saw action in doubles play, going 2-0 in the MAC this season.

“It’s going to be difficult without our seniors,” freshman Christine Guerrazzi said. “They taught us all so much last year. I know that we are all so grateful and hope to continue to show the younger ones on the team how to be a RedHawk.”

The Red and White also had an infusion of young talent that have shown great potential. Guerrazzi and freshman Alix Thurman played great in their first season of action as RedHawks, going 21-11 and 24-9, respectively. Guerrazzi is also a great talent in doubles, finishing with a 20-13 record as well as going 6-1 in the MAC. Sophomore Christiana Raymond had a great season as well, going 18-9 in singles and 18-11 in doubles.

“This past season was a great experience for me,” Guerrazzi said. “As a young team I think that we did great learning from each other and understanding how to support one another. I have full confidence that we will be ready next year because our freshman last year will have a better grasp on what it takes to be top college players this next year.”

Dumitrescu is confident looking ahead to next year.

“I am really proud of this team and their attitude out there through this year,” Dumitrescu said. “We are happy to win the regular season MAC title but more importantly I just want to see the players improve each day and fulfill their potential as players and as individuals. That is more important than any titles, and as long as we focus on that and continue to do that, victories will come.”