Tennis: Mountaineers Close Out 2009 Season
April 17, 2009 09:54 PM | General
By Kelly Tuckwiller for MSNsportsNET.com
April 17, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. - The No.10-seeded West Virginia University tennis team ended the 2009 season with a 4-2 loss to No. 11 St. John’s in the consolation round of the BIG EAST Championships in Tampa, Fla.
“Our strengths are at No. 3 through 6 in the lineup, but today we just had a few freshman moments and that combined with some girls on the other team stepping up was not good for us,” Coach Marc Walters says. “I am glad we came out today and established ourselves. We were up when we started, St. John’s just found a way to turn the tide.”
The Mountaineers started off the match capturing the doubles point as juniors Stephanie LaFortune and Monique Burton dominated Ira Aleksova and Nakita Austin 8-1 at the No. 2 spot, while sophomore Ashley Pilsbury and freshman Kathryn Haught defeated Jenny Yonkus and Joanna Zwirbulis 8-3 at the No.1 spot.
At the No. 3 spot, junior Olga Elkin and freshman Veronica Cardenas finished the match 5-4 against Gabija Gasiunatie and Alyssa Liantonio, as the Mountaineers took the point.
In singles play, Haught led WVU as she posted a 6-1, 6-0 win over Gabija Gasiunatie at the No. 2 spot.
The Red Storm then returned with Ece Firat defeating Elkin 6-2, 6-1 at the No. 3 spot, Ksenia Mikhayova defeating Cardenas 6-5, 6-2 at the No. 4 spot and Austin defeating Burton 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 6 spot.
With the score 3-2 in favor of St. John’s, Pilsbury fought hard in a third-set tiebreaker at the No. 5 spot, but fell in the end to Zwirbulis 3-6, 7-6, 6-2.
LaFortune also played excellent at the No.1 spot, but was unable to finish after St. John’s took the match. The final score of the match was 6-4, 1-6, 5-1.
“Its been a year of learning and I’m not sure that we learned everything we needed too, but the girls know where to start next season,” Walters says.
The Mountaineers finished the 2009 regular season with a 9-15 overall, 4-3 BIG EAST record, and a 0-2 finish in the conference tournament.
Doubles
1. Haught/Pilsbury (WVU) def. Yonkus/Zwirbulis (SJU) 8-3
2. LaFortune/Burton (WVU) def. Aleksova/Austin (SJU) 8-1
3. Elkin/Cardenas (WVU) vs. Gasiunatie/Liantonio (SJU) 5-4
Singles
1. Stephanie LaFortune (WVU) vs. Ira Aleksova (SJU)6-4, 1-6, 5-1*
2. Kathryn Haught (WVU) def. Gabija Gasiunatie (SJU) 6-1, 6-0
3. Ece Firat (SJU) def. Olga Elkin (WVU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Ksenia Mikhayova (SJU) def. Veronica Cardenas (WVU) 6-5, 6-2
5. Ashley Pilsbury (WVU) Joanna Zwirbulis (SJU) 3-6, 7-6, 6-2
6. Nakita Austin (SJU) def. Monique Burton (WVU) 6-1, 6-0
*- match not finished
