TAMPA, Fla. ? The University of South Florida women's tennis team (13-5) swept the No. 49 Dartmouth Big Green, 7-0, on their way to their seventh-straight victory, Saturday afternoon at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts in Tampa, Fla.
“It was a good win for us over a ranked opponent,” said USF head coach Agustin Moreno. “We're getting more comfortable now that we have been playing regularly at home. We struggled on some courts but I was pleased to see how the they responded and fought hard to pick up some crucial victories.”
The Bulls handed the Big Green (7-1) their first loss of the season, making Dartmouth the final Ivy League team to fall from the unbeaten ranks.
The Green and Gold got off to a strong start by winning the doubles point for the second-straight match. The No. 2 doubles team of Jessica Zok and Lauren Shumate clinched the doubles point for the Bulls with their 8-3 victory over Mary Beth Winingham and Jesse Adler, 8-4. The team of Zok and Shumate are now 2-0.
After taking the 1-0 lead going into singles competition, junior Iciri Rai wasted no time adding to the Bulls lead, taking care of business at the No. 5 singles spot. Rai defeated Ryan Reichel, 6-1, 6-0, and is now 13-5 on the season.
“There was a lot of wind today and I had to adjust my serve, adding spin to keep the ball on the court,” said Rai. “I stayed focused throughout the match and never wavered.”
Jessica Zok was second off the court with her 6-0, 6-0 victory over Megan Zebroski at the No. 2 position. Zok now holds an overall 12-5 record, going 8-2 at the No. 2 spot.
“With the wind I had to keep the ball on the court and stay away from placing the ball in the corners,” said Zok. “She (Zevbroski) kept going for the big shot and I capitalized on her mistakes.”
No. 49 ranked Janette Bejlkova clinched the match for the Bulls by defeating Molly Scott, 6-2, 6-1 at the top spot. She is now a perfect 11-0 on the season.
Liz Cruz (10-6), Ally Mueller (8-6) and Natalia Guevara (10-5) each picked up victories on the afternoon.
USF will return to the courts on Sunday, March 16 when they face the Syracuse Orange. This will be the first meeting between the two BIG EAST teams. The first serve is set for 11 a.m.
NCAA Women's Tennis
No. 44 USF 7, No. 49 Dartmouth 0
March 15, 2008
USF Varsity Tennis Courts
Tampa, Fla.
Doubles
1.Bejlkova/Rai (USF) def. Scott/Zebroski (DU), 8-3
2. Zok/Shumate (USF) def. Winingham/Adler (DU), 8-3
3. Cruz/Guevara (USF) def. Suydam/Smyser (DU), 8-4
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. No. 49 Janette Bejlkova (USF) def. Molly Scott (DU), 6-2, 6-1
2. Jessica Zok (USF) def. Megan Zebroski (DU), 6-0, 6-0
3. Liz Cruz (USF) def. Mary Beth Winingham (DU), 6-4, 6-1
4. Allyn Mueller (USF) def. Jesse Adler (DU), 1-6, 7-6 (6), 1-0 (4)
5. Iciri Rai (USF) def. Ryan Reichel (DU), 6-1, 6-0
6. Natalia Guevara (USF) def. Georgiana Smyser (DU), 6-3, 7-6 (4)
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 1, 3, 6, 4
