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UB tennis led by Amherst's Kristen Maines

Kristen Maines is in her sixth year as head coach of UB women's tennis but is no stranger to UB or Western New York.

BUFFALO, NY — UB women's tennis is off to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year. This is the first time the team has ever made it this far in back-to-back seasons and the Bulls are led by Amherst native Kristen Maines.

She's in her sixth year as head coach and has already made a name for herself and built up this program.

"We have something special and we really wanted to create and leave a legacy here because it's the people that make Buffalo so special and we've got a really special group," Maines said.

Maines has never been very far from home. She grew up in Amherst and went to Amherst High School before playing at UB. After that, she became an assistant coach under Kathy Twist when the Bulls made the NCAA tournament for the first time in ever in 2008.

From there, Maines has only grown the program with the help of associate head coach, Smaranda Stan McNerney. The two were actually teammates for a semester before Maines became a coach. And Smaranda has been with Maines ever since she took over as head coach.

"I never would have thought in a million years that this would have been my path but I'm so lucky to get to do this job and be a part of something so special," Maines explained.

So now Maines and the Bulls turn their attention to the NCAA tournament next Friday, May 11 at Northwestern.

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