FRESNO, Calif. (March 14, 2007) ? With wins at four of the six singles flights, the No. 39 University of South Florida women's tennis team defeated No. 37 TCU, 4-3, on neutral ground Wednesday evening.
Playing from the courts at Fresno State University, the win gives the Bulls (8-3) their first victory over a ranked opponent since Feb. 25 when they defeated Virginia Commonwealth, ranked 14th at the time.
The win also stops the Horned Frogs' (7-5) three-match win streak, in which they had outscored opponents 20-1.
Things did not start out smoothly for USF, as they dropped the opening doubles point, two matches to one.
The No. 7 tandem of Anna Sydorska and Ana Cetnik handed No. 26 Shadisha Robinson and Gabriela Duch their second consecutive loss, 8-2.
Courtney Vernon and Jessica Sweeting could not hang on against Nina Munch-Soegaard and Kewa Nichols in the second position, as TCU finished the doubles point with an 8-4 win.
Liz Cruz and Iciri Rai took the remaining point by default.
Singles play saw the bottom half of USF's order come to life as the four, five and six spots each won their contest.
Cruz defeated Nichols in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2 on the fouth court. Duch also claimed a straight set victory at No. 5, over the Frogs' Andrea Morgado, 6-0, 6-4. Rai gained her point in the sixth spot due to another TCU default.
The top of the lineup saw No. 18 Robinson suffer her second straight defeat in the first flight, at the hands of Sydorska, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
Sweeting saw only her third loss of the year, being undone in a second set tie-break to No. 84 Munch-Soegaard in the third spot.
With the match tied at 3-3, Vernon seized the winning point with an upset of No. 37 Cetnik. After winning the first set, 6-3, Cetnik escaped with the second in a tie-break, setting up the pivotal final frame in which Vernon blanked the TCU senior, 6-0.
The Bulls will no doubt use the momentum of this win to carry themselves into their next match against No. 14 Fresno State on Fri., Mar. 16. The Bulldogs have a 7-2 record on the year and have won five straight over ranked opponents. They also boast the No. 3 singles player in the nation, sophomore Melanie Gloria. Match time is set for 4:30 p.m. ET.
No. 39 USF 4, No. 37 TCU 3
Doubles:
1) (7) Sydorska/Cetnik (TCU) def. (26) Robinson/Duch 8-2
2) Nichols/Munch-Soegaard (TCU) def. Sweeting/Vernon (USF) 8-4
3) Cruz/Rai (USF) won the point by default
Singles:
1) (104) Anna Sydorska (TCU) def. (18) Shadisha Robinson (USF) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
2) (71) Courtney Vernon (USF) def (37) Ana Cetnik (TCU) 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-0
3) (84) Nina Munch-Soegaard (TCU) def. Jessica Sweeting (USF) 6-3, 7-6 (6)
4) Liz Cruz (USF) def Kewa Nichols (TCU) 6-4, 6-2
5) Gabriela Duch (USF) def Andrea Morgado (TCU) 6-0, 6-4
6) Iciri Rai (USF) won the point by default
