April 15, 2007
SAN DIEGO - The 56th-ranked San Diego State women's tennis team fell short of claiming a share of the Mountain West conference regular season title on Sunday after dropping a tough 5-2 decision to No. 60 UNLV at Aztec Tennis Center. With the loss, SDSU saw its five-match winning streak come to an end, falling to 14-10 on the season and 6-2 in league play. Meanwhile, the Lady Rebels improve to 17-6 overall and finish in a tie for second place with the Aztecs in the MWC at 6-2.
The Aztecs got off on the wrong foot in doubles competition as the duo of Alesya Vidov and Esther Cadua suffered an 8-2 setback at the hands of UNLV's 16th-ranked tandem of Elena Gantcheva and Kristina Nedeltcheva at the No. 1 position. The Lady Rebels then clinched the pivotal point when Nikol Dimitrova and Linda Tempelfelde emerged with an 8-3 triumph over Eliska Krausova and Sisse Nielsen in the second spot. SDSU was able to salvage a victory on the No. 3 court where Holly Bagshaw and Kathryn Kitts prevailed by an 8-6 count over Claire Smith and Alisa Razina.
Trailing 1-0, the Aztecs were unable to regroup in singles play as the visitors claimed four of six matches on a blustery afternoon to pull away for the win. First off the court was Kitts, who had no answers for Razina in a 6-0, 6-0 defeat at the No. 6 position. Over on the No. 1 court, Vidov gave No. 57 Gantcheva all she could handle before ultimately succumbing, 7-6(5), 6-3.
SDSU finally got on the scoreboard when Cadua dispatched a pesky Templefelde in the fourth spot, 6-2, 7-5, which narrowed the gap to 3-1. Any designs of an Aztec comeback were quickly dashed, however, as Dimitrova dealt Bagshaw her first loss in six outings by a 6-4, 6-3 margin at No. 3, giving UNLV the clinching point.
The Scarlet and Black then split the remaining two matches to account for the final outcome. After battling back from an early deficit, Nielsen ran out of steam against Smith, falling in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0, at the fifth position. Meanwhile, Krausova closed out the frustrating afternoon on a positive note by outlasting Nedeltcheva, 6-4, 7-6(4), in a hard-fought contest at No. 2.
San Diego State will return to action in 10 days when it travels to the Air Force Academy for the Mountain West Conference Championships, April 25-28, in Colorado Springs, Colo.
No. 60 UNLV 5, No. 56 SAN DIEGO STATE 2
April 15, 2007
Aztec Tennis Center--San Diego, Calif.
Doubles:
1. #16 Elena Gantcheva/Kristina Nedeltcheva (UNLV) def. Alesya Vidov/Esther Cadua (SDSU), 8-2.
2. Eliska Krausova/Sisse Nielsen (SDSU) def. Nikol Dimitrova/Linda Tempelfelde (UNLV), 8-3.
3. Claire Smith/Alisa Razina (UNLV) def. Holly Bagshaw/Kathryn Kitts (SDSU), 8-6.
UNLV wins doubles point
Singles:
1. #57 Elena Gantcheva (UNLV) def. Alesya Vidov (SDSU), 7-6(5), 6-3.
2. Eliska Krausova (SDSU) def. Kristina Nedeltcheva (UNLV), 6-4, 7-6(4).
3. Nikol Dimitrova (UNLV) def. Holly Bagshaw (SDSU), 6-4, 6-3.
4. Esther Cadua (SDSU) def. Linda Tempelfelde (UNLV), 6-2, 7-5.
5. Claire Smith (UNLV) def. Sisse Nielsen (SDSU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
6. Alisa Razina (UNLV) def. Kathryn Kitts (SDSU), 6-0, 6-0.
Order of finish
Doubles: 1, 2, 3
Singles: 6, 1, 4, 3*, 5, 2
*match-clinching victory