April 26, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS - There was nothing unlucky for the UIC women's tennis team as the Flames earned the program's 13th consecutive Horizon League Championship on Sunday morning, defeating Detroit, 4-1.
UIC (15-7) opened up the title match with wins at the first and second doubles position. At No. 1 doubles, Mariya Kovaleva and Kristen McPhillips dispatched Detroit's Annie Morre and Zeljka Minic, 8-4, while Ilinca Cristescu and Elena Antakova downed Svetlana Flankova and Sophie Sjoberg-Sundstrom, 8-2 to move the match into singles action.
All three Flames winners dominated the competition after tight first sets with the Titans.
Kovaleva, Cristescu and McPhillips took the singles matches for the Flames as Kovaleva defeated Moore, 6-3, 6-0 at No. 1 , Cristescu bested Minic, 6-4, 6-1 at No. 2 and McPhillips won over Aneta Maricevic, 6-4, 6-1 from the third slot to return the championship to Chicago.
With Sunday's victory, UIC has not lost a match to a conference foe in the regular season or in the league tournament since falling to Green Bay, 5-4, in the league's championship match on April 21, 1996, extending their conference-only winning streak to an amazing 113 wins.
The Flames will make their 11th straight NCAA tournament appearance the weekend of May 8th, and will learn their opponent on Tuesday, April 28.
UIC 4, Detroit 1
Doubles
1. Mariya Kovaleva/Kristen McPhillips (UIC) def. Annie Moore/Zeljka Minic (DET) 8-4
2. Iliinca Cristecu/Elena Antakova (UIC) def. Svetlana Flankova/Sophie Sjoberg-Sundstrom (DET) 8-2
3. Aneta Maricevic/Erin Weldon (DET) vs. Amy Jellish/Jenna Reisch (UIC), DNF (Detroit led 7-6)
Singles
1. Mariya Kovaleva (UIC) def. Annie Moore (DET) 6-3, 6-0
2. Ilinca Cristescu (UIC) def. Zeljka Minic (DET) 6-4, 6-1
3. Kristen McPhillips (UIC) def. Aneta Maricevic (DET) 6-4, 6-1
4. Elena Antakova (UIC) vs. Svetlana Flankova (DET) DNF (UIC led 6-2, 5-4)
5. Amy Jellish (UIC) vs. Sophie Sjoberg-Sundstrom (DET) DNF (UIC led 2-6, 6-4, 1-0)
6. Erin Weldon (DET) def. Jenna Reisch (UIC) 6-1, 6-3
