Sunday, February 29, 2004

TROY, Ala. (Feb. 29, 2004) - The East Tennessee State women's tennis team fell to Troy State in a close 4-3 road match. The Bucs are now 7-5 for the spring season. Troy State took the early lead in the match sweeping all three slots for the doubles point. Head coach Steve Brooks stated, "We played flat in doubles, but tough in singles all the way up and down the line." Producing big wins for the Bucs in singles action were, Sylwia Ziolkowska (Warsaw, Poland), Gemma Halim (Jakarta, Indonesia) and Mariya Ilyina (Kyiv, Ukraine). Sophomore Ziolkowska, who played in the No. 2 spot, scored the first point for the Bucs with a win against Carolina Aravena 6-4, 6-3. The Bucs then narrowed the score to 3-2 with Ilyina's victory over Christina Mancheno in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 battle. Halim tied the match with her win over Tsitsi Masviba in the No. 3 slot, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-4. The clinching point fell to the No. 4 slot were senior Jessica Irey (Clewiston, Fla.) lost a grueling battle against Suzanne Jones 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. "We lost a very close 4-3 match," stated Brooks. "We played very tough points, and I'm proud of that." The Bucs return to action next weekend with a pair of home contests. ETSU will face UNC-Charlotte on March 6 and its first SoCon match against Elon on March 7. Troy State 4, ETSU 3, Doubles: 1. Luisa Lopez/Carolina Afravena (Troy) def. Courtney McInnis/Jewel Aldea (ETSU) 8-3 2. Luz-Angela Garcia/Christina Mancheno (Troy) def. Sylwia Ziolkowska/Mariya Ilyina (ETSU) 9-8 (6) 3. Carolina Aravena/Suzanne Jones (Troy) def. Gemma Halim/Jessica Irey (ETSU) 8-3 Order of finish: 1, 3, 2 Singles: 1. Luisa Lopez (Troy) def. Courtney McInnis (ETSU) 6-2, 6-3 2. Sylwia Ziolkowska (ETSU) def. Carolina Aravena (Troy) 6-4, 6-3 3. Gemma Halim (ETSU) def. Tsitsi Masviba (Troy) 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-4 4. Suzanne Jones (Troy) def. Jessica Irey (ETSU) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 5. Mariya Iiyina (ETSU) def. Christina Mancheno (Troy) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 6. Laura Alarcon (Troy) def. Tatiana Arriaran (ETSU) 6-2, 6-0 Order of finish: 1, 2, 6, 5, 3, 4* *Clinching point