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 Dina Senkina, Temple |
April 20, 2008
MONROEVILLE, Pa. - Junior Anastasiia Rukavyshnykova registered wins at No. 1 doubles and fifth singles and Lucie Pazderova and Elyse Steiner added straight-set victories as second-seeded Temple downed No. 5 Xavier on Sunday, 4-0, in the finals of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Women's Tennis Championship at the Club 4 Life.
It marked the fourth-ever A-10 crown and first since 2003 for the Owls, who earned the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Championship. The pairings will be announced on ESPNews on Apr. 29 at 2:00pm (EST).
Rukavyshnykova posted a 6-4, 6-0 victory over XU sophomore Kaitlyn Zinn after she teamed with sophomore Christine Clermont for an 8-3 win versus Kara Courtney and Jeanette Feider to secure the doubles point for Temple. Steiner turned aside Tifanie Treece at No. 2 singles, 6-3, 6-4, while Pazderova recorded a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Xavier freshman Kelsey Kinnard.
"As a first year head coach, this is the biggest accomplishment that I could have set my eyes for and I am just really proud of the girls and they way they came together," said Temple head coach Jill Breslin.
"It's been a tough year with them having to adjust to me and learning new coaching methods but they really showed their heart and dedication and hopefully it will continue at the NCAA's."
"I think Temple proved today that when healthy, they're the best team in the Conference. Coach Breslin is a class act and she's going to do well at Temple," said first-year Xavier head coach Eric Toth, who guided the Musketeers to their third-ever finals appearance and first since 2004.
"The past three days have been outstanding but unfortunately, our standard of play just wasn't what it needed to be."
In the opening match of the day, Charlotte's Yudeshnee Pillay earned a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Amanda Hellberg in the deciding match at first singles as the eight-seeded 49ers edged No. 7 Saint Louis, 4-3, in the fifth-place contest. Pillay also teamed with sophomore Ana Spivakovsky to earn an 8-1 win at No. 1 doubles versus Hellberg and Casey Miller.
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Four-time defending champion Richmond turned aside top-seeded Massachusetts in the third-place match, 4-0, as freshmen Kelly Tidwell and Isabel Arana posted straight-set victories at Nos. 4 and 6 singles, respectively.
For complete coverage of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Women's Tennis Championship, log on to www.atlantic10.org
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
First Place - Temple
Second Place - Xavier
Third Place - Richmond
Fourth Place - Massachusetts
Fifth Place - Charlotte
Sixth Place - Saint Louis
Seventh Place - Duquesne, Rhode Island
Ninth Place - Fordham, George Washington
Eleventh Place - Dayton, St. Bonaventure
Thirteenth Place - La Salle, Saint Joseph's
