April 11, 2011
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. - The UIC women's tennis team remains perfect in the Horizon League and defeated Valparaiso at the Northwest Athletic Club on Monday afternoon in a sweep, 7-0.
UIC (14-4, 6-0 Horizon League) only dropped three games in doubles play, as they sweep all three doubles positions. Juniors Elisa Simonetti and Teona Tsertsvadze won the first doubles match, as they defeated VU's Kristin Zakiewics and Katie Bilyeu, 8-1. To clinch the doubles point for the Flames was juniors Mariya Kovaleva and Linda Hricistova when they defeated VU's No. 1 doubles duo of Jackie O'Reilly and Stephanie York, 8-1. Senior Ilinca Cristescu and Jana Knoppe took the match to VU's Brittany O'Reilly and Aubree Zdanovec for a victory, 8-1.
In the No. 1 singles slot, Kovaleva set the tone for the Flames as she defeated VU's J. O'Reilly in a shutout, 6-0, 6-0. Tsertsvadze shadowed her teammate's effort, and defeated VU's B. O'Reilly by the same score, 6-0, 6-0. Knoppe secured the match for the Flames, when she took the match to VU's York, 6-0, 6-2.
Cristescu won her 80th all-time career singles match as she defeated VU's Zakiewicz in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. Hricistova didn't lose a game as she defeated VU's Bilyeu, 6-0, 6-0. Freshman Kathryn Sharples won the fourth match by a score of 6-0, 6-0, as she torched VU's Zdanovec in a shutout.
The Flames will conclude their Horizon League play for the season this weekend, as they take travel to take on Wright State (April 16) and Butler (April 17), both matches beginning at 2 p.m. CST.
Cristescu securing her 80th singles win this afternoon puts her three matches shy of tying the all-time record at 83. She also recorded her 35th straight Horizon League win in singles play, and UIC has now been victories for the 129th straight time against league opposition.
UIC 7, VU 0
Singles:
1. Mariya Kovaleva (UIC) def. Jackie O'Reilly (VU) 6-0, 6-0
2. Teona Tsertsvadze (UIC) def. Brittany O'Reilly (VU) 6-0, 6-0
3. Ilinca Cristescu (UIC) def. Kristin Zakiewicz (VU) 6-1, 6-1
4. Jana Knoppe (UIC) def. Stephanie York (VU) 6-0, 6-2
5. Linda Hricistova (UIC) def. Katie Bilyeu (VU) 6-0, 6-0
6. Kathryn Sharples (UIC) def. Aubree Zdanovec (VU) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles:
1. Hricistova/Kovaleva (UIC) def. J. O'Reilly/York (VU) 8-1
2. Simonetti/Tsertsvadze (UIC) def. Zakiewicz/Bilyeu (VU) 8-1
3. Cristescu/Knoppe (UIC) def. B. O'Reilly/Zdanovec (VU) 8-1
Order of Finish
Singles: 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 6
Doubles: 2, 1, 3,
