Tennis: WVU Sweeps Presbyterian
April 05, 2008 09:05 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
April 5,2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University tennis team swept Presbyterian, 7-0, on Saturday afternoon at the Ridgeview Racquet Club.
The Mountaineers (12-6, 2-1 BIG EAST) earned their four shutout victory of the season and took all six singles matches as well as the three doubles matches. WVU also has shutout victories this season against Columbia and Division II opponents Barton and Mount Olive.
The match against the Blue Hose (4-12) also was Senior Day, as four WVU performers were honored prior to the contest and won each of their matches to help cap a 5-0 home record for the Mountaineers this season.
“I was happy for our girls to play so well on senior day,” said WVU Head Coach Marc Walters. “There was a lot of emotion out there today and our players settled into singles real well.”
Seniors Stacey Percival and Natalia Prinz each had two victories in singles and doubles competition. Percival defeated Brittany Lanford, 6-2, 7-6, at No. 1 singles, while Prinz won against Megan Davis in No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-2.
Prinz and Percival also notched their eighth victory at No. 1 doubles as they beat Diminich-Lanford in a tiebreaker, 8-7 (11-9).
Senior Monica Lyskawa was also impressive in her last home match, defeating Abby Diminich, 6-4, 6-3, at No. 2 singles. Lyskawa then teamed with sophomore Stephanie LaFortune at No. 2 doubles to beat Waldron-Reece, 8-3.
Lyskawa’s two victories gives her 20 wins on the season, marking the second time she has achieved the 20-win plateau as she went 33-15 during her junior campaign.
Colleen Speaker dominated on senior day as well by grabbing a victory over Kari Fuller at No. 4 singles, 6-4, 6-2. Speaker improves to 10-8 in singles competition as she has performed at the No. 3 and No. 4 spot this season.
Freshman Ashley Pilsbury also notched two victories in the match. The Port Orange, Fla., native defeated Virginia Waldron, 6-1, 6-0. She also paired with Monique Burton to beat Fuller-Davis at No. 3 doubles, 8-6, and extend their record to 8-5 at the doubles position.
LaFortune was the fifth and final Mountaineer to get a pair of victories as she won at No. 6 singles over Cayla Reece, 6-2, 6-1. LaFortune improves to 6-3 at the No. 6 spot in singles.
Walters quickly shifted his focus to Monday’s match against a tough opponent in Maryland-Baltimore County.
“It will be a tough match on Monday,” said Walters. “It will get us ready for our BIG EAST weekend coming up because everything is downhill from here.”
The Mountaineers face the Retrievers in their next match on Monday, April 7, at 3 p.m. in Baltimore, Md.
WVU-7 Presbyterian-0
Singles
1. Stacey Percival (WVU) def. Brittany Lanford (PU), 6-2, 7-6
2. Monica Lyskawa (WVU) def. Abby Diminich (PU), 6-4, 6-3
3. Natalia Prinz (WVU) def. Megan Davis (PU), 6-1, 6-2
4. Colleen Speaker (WVU) def. Kari Fuller (PU), 6-4, 6-2
5. Ashley Pilsbury (WVU) def. Virginia Waldron (PU), 6-1, 6-0
6. Stephanie LaFortune (WVU) def. Cayla Reece (PU), 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
1. Percival/Prinz (WVU) def. Diminich/Lanford (PU), 8-7 (11-9)
2. Lyskawa/LaFortune (WVU) def. Waldron/Reece (PU), 8-3
3. Burton/Pilsbury (WVU) def. Fuller/Davis (PU), 8-6
