Tennis: WVU Nets 6-1 Victory Over Rutgers
April 14, 2007 05:51 PM | General
April 14, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After a season that welcomed five rookies and a new coach, West Virginia University’s tennis team ended its regular season with a vengeance, defeating conference foe Rutgers, 6-1, on Saturday, April 14, at the Ridgeview Racquet and Fitness Club.
“I’m so proud of this team and have the utmost respect for each of them,” says coach Marc Walters. “This has been a long year, and they have all had to overcome adversities. Ending the regular season so strong and so focused was huge for us. I have a very good feeling about where we could go.”
The Mountaineers (12-10, 6-1) started the day strong, taking the doubles point away from the Scarlett Knights. Most impressive was the play of juniors Natalia Prinz and Stacey Percival in the No.1 match. The pair defeated Katrine Elder-Bush and Katherine Arlak, 8-6, to seal the point for WVU.
“That team really stepped it up today and took that match,” Walters says. “We needed to come out aggressive, and they most certainly did. They set the tone for the rest of the day.”
From there, the squad rolled over the competition in the singles matches. Senior Kelly Walsh, playing in her last home match as a Mountaineer, came out focused and blew past Lauren Edelschein in the No. 4 match, 6-1, 6-3. That win, coupled with the Chalfont St. Giles, U.K., native’s win in doubles, pushed her season record to 20-19, her second 20-win season in four years.
Junior Monica Lyskawa also reached a milestone, surpassing 30 wins on the season with her victory over Caitlin Baker in the No. 3 match (6-3, 6-2). This is the first 30-win season for the Brampton, Ontario, native.
Percival sealed the Mountaineers’ win, defeating Arlak in the No. 2 match, 7-6(7-3), 6-2.
Today also marked the last home match for senior Ashley Constantine. The Binghamton, N.Y., native, finished the regular season with an 8-7 record, including a 4-1 mark in the No. 3 doubles slot with freshman Gabriela Blaskovicova.
The Mountaineers now move on to the BIG EAST Tournament, held in Tampa, Fla., April 19-22. The team’s seeding will be announced Monday.
WVU 6, RU 1
Singles
1. Katrine Elder-Bush (RU) def. Natalia Prinz (WVU) (6-4, 3-6, 6-2)
2. Stacey Percival (WVU) def. Katherine Arlak (RU) (7-6(7-3), 6-2)
3. Monica Lyskawa (WVU) def. Caitlin Baker (RU) (6-3, 6-2)
4. Kelly Walsh (WVU) def. Lauren Edelschein (RU) (6-1, 6-3)
5. Alexandra Kaluza (WVU) def. Christine Tran (RU) (6-4, 6-4)
6. Stephanie LaFortune (WVU) def. Katherine Chen (RU) (6-0, 6-2)
Doubles
1. Prinz/Percival (WVU) def. Elder-Bush/Arlak (RU) (8-6)
2. Walsh/Lyskawa (WVU) def. Baker/Anela Dujsic (RU) (5-1, retired)
3. Edelschein/Tran (RU) def. Ashley Constantine/Gabriela Blaskovicova (WVU) (8-1)
