Feb. 23, 2008

Cavalier Women's Tennis Tops Old Dominion 5-2

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia women's tennis team won its fourth consecutive match, defeating Old Dominion 5-2 Friday afternoon at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar's Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers improve to 5-3 on the season with the victory.

The Cavaliers took the early lead by winning the doubles point. Jennifer Stevens (Miami, Fla.) and Hampton Williams (Raleigh, N.C.) scored an 8-5 win over Jana Kubicikova and Daniela Cohen at No. 3 doubles. Lindsey Pereira (Arlington, Texas) and Maggie Yahner (Las Vegas, Nev.) clinched the opening point for Virginia with their 9-7 victory over Joanna Dobrowolska and Barbara Costa at the No. 2 position.

In singles, the Cavaliers picked up two straight wins to take a 3-1 lead. Lara Alexander (London, England) topped Cohen 6-0, 6-2 at No. 5 singles and Pereira downed Costa 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.

Blue Devils Cruise To 6-1 Win Over Princeton

DURHAM, N.C. - The eighth-ranked Duke women's tennis team remains perfect on the year as the Blue Devils secured a 6-1 win over 72nd-ranked Princeton on Friday evening at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.

Duke swept doubles competition to go ahead 1-0 early, as senior Tory Zawacki and sophomore Amanda Granson posted an 8-4 triumph over Ivana King and Rebecca Parks at No. 3 before freshman Reka Zsilinszka and sophomore Elizabeth Plotkin defeated Sarah Hoffman and Sarah Huah, 8-4, at No. 3 to clinch the point for the Blue Devils.

At No. 2, junior Melissa Mang and sophomore Jessi Robinson combined for an 8-4 win over Taylor Marable and Melissa Saiontz.

Singles action saw 13th-ranked Zsilinszka defeat Parks, 6-4, 6-1, at the No. 3 position to put the Blue Devils ahead, 2-0, then Robinson picked up a two-set win over Huah (6-0, 6-4) at the No. 5 position to increase Duke's advantage to 3-0.

No. 2 Northwestern Too Much For No. 5 UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 12 Sanaz Marand scored her first career victory over a top-5 opponent, but No. 2 Northwestern was too much, as the Wildcats dealt No. 5 North Carolina a 5-2 loss Friday afternoon at the Cone-Kenfield Indoor Tennis Center. The loss to Northwestern was the third straight for the Tar Heels (6-4), who have played five top-10 opponents in a row, including the Wildcats twice in two weeks.

Playing with a shuffled lineup, UNC picked up the doubles point with wins by Marand and Katrina Tsang at No. 1 and Austin Smith and Sophie Grabiniski at No. 3. Marand and Tsang, playing together for the first time at Carolina, dominated No. 10 Lauren Liu and Samantha Murray, 8-1. After Northwestern grabbed its own 8-1 win at No. 2, it was left to the players at No. 3 to decide it. Smith and Grabinski broke Nazlie Ghazal and Maria Mosolova at 3-all and eventually held on for an 8-6 victory.

No. 41 NC State Falls to No. 31 South Carolina, 5-2

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The No. 41 NC State women's tennis team fell to No. 31 South Carolina 7-0 Friday afternoon in Columbia, S.C. With the loss the Pack falls to 4-3 on the season as South Carolina remains unbeaten at 6-0.

The match didn't start well for the Pack as they dropped the doubles point for the first time this season. At No. 1 doubles the duo of Daria Petrovic and Berkley Brock fell 8-2 to Gira Schofield and Ana Marija Zubori who are ranked No. 17 in the nation in doubles competition. In the second doubles match Lenka Hojckova and Julia Roach lost for the first time all season in doubles 8-4. The final doubles match saw Kristen Bleakley and Catherine Grotz force a tiebreaker against Suzanna Mansour and Megan McGavock. After the match was tied 8-8 Bleakley and Grotz were able to win the tiebreaker 8-6 to win the match.

Notre Dame 4, Wake Forest 3

More to follow...