INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., April 13 - Southern Utah's women's
tennis team posted a 6-0 win over Western Illinois on Friday morning to move to
4-2 in Summit League play and 8-8 overall.
The win put the Thunderbirds on the verge of qualification
for The Summit League's post-season tournament, as either one more win or a
South Dakota State loss clinches the berth for SUU.
In a match of two short-handed squads SUU lost just one
doubles and one singles game in notching the victory. Both teams were playing
with just five players in the match played at Park Tudor High School.
Alex Ivanova an Olia Tatarchenko rolled to an 8-0 win over
Jessica Callahan and Ashley Rettger at first doubles while Afton Staheli and
Ksusha Johnson - teaming for the first time this season at second doubles
- were 8-1 winners over Megan Pasdernick and Juliette Schwartz to give SUU
the doubles point.
In singles Ivanova downed Callahan 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2, but
every other player, Johnson at No. 1, Tatarchenko at No. 2, Staheli at No. 5
and Lisa Pleskan at No. 4, rolled to straight sets wins.
SUU faces league-leading Oral Roberts Saturday morning, then
squares off against South Dakota State on Saturday afternoon in a match which
could be for the tournament berth.
SDSU takes a 2-4 league mark into a match against IUPUI
Friday afternoon in Indianapolis before closing out the conference season
against SUU Saturday afternoon. An IUPUI win over SDSU hands SUU the tourney
berth no matter what happens Saturday, but should the Jackrabbits get past the
Jaguars and SUU falls to ORU the winner of the SUU/SDSU match will advance to
the tourney.
Tennis Match Results
Southern Utah vs Western Illinois
Apr 13, 2012 at Indianapolis, Ind.
(Park Tudor High School)
Southern
Utah 6, Western Illinois 0
Singles
#1 - Ksusha Johnson (SUU) def. Ashley
Rettger (WIU) 6-0, 6-0
#2 - Alex Ivanova (SUU) def. Jessica
Callahan (WIU) 6-0, 6-1
#3 - Olia Tatarchenko (SUU) def.
Jessica Theobald (WIU) 6-0, 6-0
#4 - Lisa Pleskan (SUU) def. Megan
Pazdernick (WIU) 6-0, 6-0
#5 - Afton Staheli (SUU) def. Juliette
Schwartz (WIU) 6-0, 6-0
#6 - not played
Doubles
#1 - Ivanova/Tatarchenko (SUU) def.
Callahan/Rettger (WIU) 8-0
#2 - Johnson/Staheli (SUU) def.
Pazdernick/Schwartz (WIU) 8-1
#3 - not played
-- SUU --
