T-Birds Take Two In Tennis

TULSA, Okla., March 22 ? Southern Utah improved to 8-3 on the season and 3-1 in Summit League play Saturday with a pair of wins in a cluster hosted by Oral Roberts University. The Thunderbirds got by IUPUI 4-1, Saturday morning before beating Western Illinois, 4-2, in the afternoon.

The Thunderbirds won the doubles point in both matches, while Kateryna Drynova, Emmi Nelson-Bulloch and Carmen Blanco all won their singles points against both opponents as well.

Drynova, playing at No. 2, got past IUPUI's Allison Thompson, 6-1, 6-3, and beat Western Illinois' Kin Lennartsson, 6-4, 6-0; while Nelson-Bulloch claimed a 6-3, 6-4 win over WIU's Ashley Clark and a 6-0, 6-3 win over IUPUI's Emily Holsapple at No. 4. Blanco stopped IUPUI's Dana Gardner 6-0, 6-1; then came back in the afternoon to edge Western's Kate Kennedy in a final set tie-breaker, 6-4, 4-6, 7-2 (7-1)at No. 5.

At No. 1, SUU's Kirrily Burden was leading IUPUI's Andrea Burkhardt 6-1, 5-2, when the match was decided but lost 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) loss to WIU's Amanda Griffin. Martha Kruk was forced to withdraw from her match vs. IUPUI's Vanessa Carna by injury while trailing 3-1, but returned to face WIU's Zi Wang but was trailing (7-5, 1-6, 6-6 (3-6)) when play was stopped at No. 3. Kristi Latteier was leading IUPUI's Lisa Gebhard, 6-1, when the match vs. the Jaguars was decided but lost vs. WIU's Yana Meinert, 7-6, 6-2 (7-5) at No. 6.

The win over IUPUI snapped a seven-match losing streak against the Jaguars.


Southern Utah vs. IUPUI
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Tulsa, Okla. (The Grand Racquet Club)

Southern Utah 4, IUPUI 1

Singles
Kirrily Burden (SUU) vs. Andrea Burkhardt (IUPUI), 6-1, 5-2, DNF
Kateryna Drynova (SUU) def. Allison Thompson (SUU), 6-1, 6-3
Vanessa Carna (IUPUI) def. Martha Kruk (SUU), 1-3 (Injury defeat)
Emmi Nelson-Bulloch (SUU) def. Emily Holsapple (IUPUI), 6-0, 6-3
Carmen Blanco (SUU) def. Dana Gardner (IUPUI), 6-0, 6-1
Kristi Latteier (SUU) vs. Lisa Gebhard (IUPUI), 6-1, DNF

Doubles
Burden/Drynova (SUU) def. Thompson/Carna (IUPUI), 8-1
Kruk/Nelson-Bulloch (SUU) vs. Burkhardt/Holsapple (IUPUI), 4-4, DNF
Blanco/Latteier (SUU) def. Gardner/Gebhard (IUPUI), 8-2

Southern Utah vs. Western Illinois
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Tulsa, Okla. (The Grand Racquet Club)

Southern Utah 4, Western Illinois 2

Singles
Amanda Griffin (WIU) def. Kirrily Burden (SUU), 6-1, 7-6 (7-5)
Kateryna Drynova (SUU) def. Kim Lennartsson (WIU), 6-4, 6-0
Martha Kruk (SUU) vs. Zi Wang (WIU), 7-5, 1-6, 6-6 (3-6), DNF
Emmi Nelson-Bulloch (SUU) def. Ashley Clark (WIU), 6-3, 6-4
Carmen Blanco (SUU) def. Kate Kennedy (WIU), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1)
Yana Meinert (WIU) def. Kristi Latteier (SUU), 7-6, 6-2 (7-5)

Doubles
Burden/Drynova (SUU) def. Wang/Lennartsson (WIU), 8-5
Griffin/Kennedy (WIU) def. Kruk/Nelson-Bulloch (SUU), 8-5
Blanco/Latteier (SUU) def. Clark/Meinert, 8-4