April 17, 2009

Results

Monroeville, Pa. - With another 4-0 victory, this time in the quarterfinals over fourth-seeded Rhode Island, the Charlotte 49ers women's tennis team advanced to Saturday morning's semifinal against top-seeded Richmond at 10:30 a.m. at the 26th Annual Atlantic 10 Championships at the Club 4 Life.

The Niners, the fifth seed, defeated 12th-seeded Saint Joseph's in the early session this afternoon before upending the Rams in the evening session.

Charlotte earned the doubles point by winning all three doubles matches. Senior Koren Fleming and sophomore Gabi Vergara won at number three doubles in what proved to be an historic match. The win was the 26th victory for the pair, the most in school history for one tandem. With the victory, Vergara, who has one additional doubles win with Candace Cunningham this season, broke the school mark with her 27th doubles victory of the season. Fleming is in a tie for second, with previous record-holder Kim Sommer (1990).

The Niners needed just three singles wins for victory, and with wins by Ana Spivakovsky at one, Yudeshnee Pillay at two and Kimber Redfern at number six, all in straight sets, Charlotte advanced to the semifinals.

Pillay's win was her 18th consecutive victory, giving her 24 singles wins on the season, just two shy of the school record set by Spivakovsky in 2006. Pillay is in a three-way tie for second place on the all-time single-season list for singles victories. Redfern's win was her 23rd of the season, putting her in a three-way for sixth in that category.

Charlotte has placed no worse than fifth in three previous Atlantic 10 Championships, once finishing second and one finishing third in the event.