Feb. 18, 2012
CHICAGO - The UIC women's tennis team combined for four singles wins as they topped the University of Chicago, 5-2, on Saturday at Bally's Hyde Park. The Flames move to 4-3 on the season, while the Maroons suffer their first loss to go 4-1.
After capturing all three doubles matches to take the first point of the day, the squad continued into singles to claim 4-of-6 matches.
Competing in doubles, Elisa Simonetti and Teona Tsertsvadze led the Flames at No. 1 to an 8-6 victory over Kendra Higgins and Carmen Vaca Guzman. Mariya Kovaleva and Haley Craig competed at No. 2 to defeat Linden Li and Jennifer Kung, 8-4, while Jana Knoppe and Linda Hricistova took on Kelsey McGillis and Megan Tang at No. 3 to also win 8-4.
Through singles play, Tsertsvadze, Knoppe, Craig and Hricistova tallied wins for UIC to go on and top Chicago. At No. 2, Tsertsvadze went to three sets against Vaca Guzman and was able to hang on for the win, going 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Knoppe also went to three sets to win 6-2, 2-6, 6-1, as she rotated into the No. 3 position and took on Kung. With Craig at No. 4 and Hricistova at No. 6, they each took down their respective opponents in McGillis and Tang. Craig claimed the match 7-5, 6-1 and Hricistova tallied the win with a final of 6-0, 6-1.
Kovaleva fell in her respective match at No. 1 to Higgins, 6-2, 7-6 (2), as did Kathryn Sharples to Li at the No. 5 position, 6-4, 6-3.
The Flames head back to Bally's Hyde Park next Saturday, Feb. 25 to take on Illinois State at 1 p.m. (CT).
UIC 5, Chicago 2
Doubles
1. Tsertsvadze/Simonetti (UIC) def. Higgins/Vaca Guzman (UC) - 8-6
2. Kovaleva/Craig (UIC) def. Li/Kung (UC) - 8-4
3. Knoppe/Hricistova (UIC) def. McGillis/Tang - 8-4
Singles
1. Kendra Higgins (UC) def. Mariya Kovaleva (UIC) - 6-2, 7-6 (2)
2. Teona Tsertsvadze (UIC) def. Carmen Vaca Guzman (UC) - 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
3. Jana Knoppe (UIC) def. Jennifer Kung (UC) - 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
4. Haley Craig (UIC) def. Kelsey McGillis (UC) - 7-5, 6-1
5. Linden Li (UC) def. Kathryn Sharples (UIC) - 6-4, 6-3
6. Linda Hricistova (UIC) def. Megan Tang (UC) - 6-0, 6-1
