Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: JOHN NELSON; STAFF WRITER
The St. Bonaventure University women’s tennis team will host the University at Buffalo and Niagara University at the Pat Panzarella Outdoor Tennis Center in the SBU Duals on Friday, Oct. 9.
The university unveiled the courts in October 2025, providing the Bonnies with an on-campus facility to practice and compete.
Senior Gabriella Blumberg said the new courts have benefited the team’s preparation and performance.
“Having the new courts has been a great improvement to help with the team’s performance,” said Blumberg. “It’s been nice having an environment where we can practice and compete.”
Blumberg, an accounting major from Casper, Wyoming, transferred to Bonaventure after spending the 2023-25 seasons at Western New Mexico University. She finished the 2025-26 season with four doubles wins and two singles victories.
The new on-campus courts made freshman Basia Carroll’s transition to Bonaventure more meaningful.
“The new courts are amazing,” said Carroll. “Having courts right on campus elevates my game. It helps with training and makes me proud to be a Bonnie.”
Carroll, a Boca Raton, Florida native, is one of five freshmen on the team.
The team enters the new season with a mix of veterans and new players. However, they share a common goal of improving throughout the season and competing at a high level.
“I think our biggest goal for the year is to continue to grow and build as a team to compete at the highest level we can,” Blumberg said. “We want to be consistent, support each other and keep improving throughout the season. I hope that when we have a conversation again, we talk about how much this team has grown and what we’ve accomplished this year. I want us to look back and know that we gave everything we had and took advantage of every opportunity.”
Carroll also expressed confidence in the young team’s ability to compete in the Atlantic 10.
“The team wants to train hard and win as many singles and doubles matches to make it to the Atlantic 10 Championships,” said Carroll. “The ultimate long-term goal would be to receive a bid to compete in the NCAA Tennis Championships by the end of the spring season.”
The Bonnies welcome Buffalo and Niagara to the Pat Panzarella Outdoor Tennis Center on Friday, Oct. 9, for the first event held on the new courts.
