Women's Tennis: WVU Edges UConn
March 26, 2005 01:55 AM | General
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By Jarrod Sudduth for MSNsportsNET.com
March 25, 2005
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The West Virginia University women’s tennis team opened its 2005 conference season with a 4-3 victory over Connecticut on Friday, March 25, in Syracuse, N.Y.
The Mountaineers (9-4, 1-0) and Huskies (2-7, 0-2) split the singles category with three wins apiece, but WVU was able to win two of three doubles contests to claim the match-deciding point.
The victory was West Virginia’s first over Connecticut since head coach Dan Silverstein inherited the Mountaineer tennis program in 2001. Prior to Friday’s victory, Silverstein’s teams owned an 0-3 record versus the Huskies.
No. 1 seed Natalia Prinz and two seed Kelly Walsh played well, but fell in two closely contested matches. Prinz dropped a 6-4, 6-4 decision to Whitney Simcik while Walsh was topped by Jennifer LoRusso, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
West Virginia’s top performance of the day came in three seed singles where freshman Monica Lyskawa clinched the match for WVU with a victory over Barbara Schumsky. The Brampton, Ontario, native fell in the opening set by a score of 6-3, but battled back in front of her teammates and family to take the final two sets by a 6-1, 6-3 margin.
Sophomore No. 4 seed Catherine Koontz suffered a blow to the nose and struggled to recover, losing to Christine Burek by a score of 7-6, 6-3. Five seed Raynie Theis, on the other hand, made easy work of Elizabeth Dibbs and won in straight sets by a score of 6-3, 6-4. Freshman Stacey Percival was also victorious, knocking off UConn’s Ashley Petruzzi, 6-0, 6-3.
In doubles action, Prinz and Walsh struggled to find a rhythm against Schumsky and Simcik, falling by a score of 8-1. Sophomore Ashley Constantine and freshman Colleen Speaker ousted Dibbs and Petruzzi by a score of 8-1. Theis and Percival clinched the doubles point with a hard-fought 8-6 victory over Burek and LoRusso.
“We are thrilled to open our BIG EAST season with a victory,” Silverstein says. “The girls fought hard throughout and showed a lot of determination today. With that said, our focus has quickly turned to battling a tough Syracuse squad on Saturday.”
The first serve of West Virginia’s BIG EAST tilt against Syracuse is slated to go in the air at approximately 10 a.m.
SINGLES
1. Whitney Simcik (UConn) d. Natalia Prinz (WVU), 6-4, 6-4
2. Jennifer LoRusso (UConn) d. Kelly Walsh (WVU), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. Monica Lyskawa (WVU) d. Barbara Schumsky (UConn), 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
4. Christine Burek (UConn) d. Catherine Koontz (WVU), 7-6, 6-3
5. Raynie Theis (WVU) d. Elizabeth Dibbs (UConn), 6-3, 6-4
6. Stacey Percival (WVU) d. Ashley Petruzzi (UConn), 6-0, 6-3
DOUBLES
1. Schumsky/Simcik (UConn) d. Prinz/Walsh (WVU), 8-1
2. Theis/Percival (WVU) d. Burek/LoRusso (UConn), 8-6
3. Ashley Constantine/Colleen Speaker (WVU) d. Dibbs/Petruzzi (UConn), 8-1
