April 16, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK IN PANTHER TENNIS

April 19-20       

Sat., April 19               at Wichita State             11:00  a.m.

Sun., April 20              at Creighton                  10:00  a.m.

 

The University of Northern Iowa (12-7) women's tennis team will complete its Missouri Valley Conference schedule this weekend with two road matches at Wichita State and Creighton. The Panthers are currently fourth in the league standings with a 4-2 mark in the Valley.

 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

Wichita State

• The defending Missouri Valley Conference champions are 11-7 overall and 4-1 in MVC play.

• The Shockers have won four their last five matches.

• Wichita State won last year's meeting over the Panthers, 7-0, handing UNI its lone home loss of the season. 

• Lenore Lazaroui has won a team-best 19 matches and is 19-11 overall.

• Lazaroui has teamed up with Anna Egorova to go 11-0 in No. 2 doubles this year.

•Wichita State leads the all-time series with UNI, 9-5

• UNI head coach Sachin Kirtane is 2-4 all-time against the Shockers.

 

Creighton

• Creighton is 5-10 overall and 0-6 in MVC play.

• The Bluejays have struggled in MVC singles this year, only winning three of its 35 matches.

• Creighton is 20-24 overall in dual meet doubles this year.

• The Panthers beat the Creighton, 6-1 last year, and have won the last three meetings with the Bluejays.

• Lauren Mastro has won a team-leading nine matches this season.

• Leesa and Sarah Cadwallader are 11-4 in dual meet doubles this year.

• Creighton leads the all-time series with UNI, 10-7.

 

CHASING HISTORY

• Senior Carolina Hannes won her 84th career singles match over Riette Kotze of Evansville, 8-3 on April 13 and is now tied for first on UNI's all-time career wins list with Nancy Land. Hannes won both matches last weekend to propel her to the top spot.

 

• Senior Meghana Paritala is currently in a tie for second on the all-time career wins list, and is only one win from tying the Panthers' all-time leader, Nancy Land and Carolina Hannes. Paritala is 12-17 on the season and lost in her last three No. 2 singles matches.

 

• Hannes and Paritala also hold the fourth and eight spots respectively on the Panthers' career winning percentage list in singles play. Hannes has won 68.2 percent of her matches and Paritala has been victorious in 66.4 percent of her matches. Robin Ross is the Panthers' all-time leader, winning 73.5 percent of her matches.

 

PERFECT ON SATURDAY

• The Panthers are now a perfect 6-0 on Saturdays this season after its 5-2 win over Southern Illinois last Saturday. The Panthers will go for their seventh straight win this Saturday against Wichita State.

 

DOUBLE TROUBLE

• Meghana Paritala is currently in fifth on the UNI all-time doubles wins list and teammate Carolina Hannes is seventh. Paritala has 75 career wins playing doubles and Hannes has 66.

 

MOARES NAMED MVC SCHOLAR -ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

• UNI junior Taynara Moraes has been selected the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Week, Commissioner Doug Elgin announced on April 2.

• Moraes, who has a 3.01 cumulative grade-point average in economics, was honored for her performances during the period of March 24-30. She defeated Drake's Sarah Plowman 3-6, 6-1 and 7-5 at No. 4 singles, and at No. 1 doubles, she teamed with Meghana Paritala to earn a 9-7 victory over Veronika Leszayova and Plowman.

 

FOUR TO THREE

• Six of UNI's matches have ended with the final score 4-3. The Panthers beat Drake, 4-3 on March 30 in their first Missouri Valley Conference match this season. The Panthers are 4-2 this season when the final score is 4-3.

 

SWEEPING

• For the third time this season the UNI tennis team was swept by an opponent. Indiana State swept the Panthers' on April 6 at the Black Hawk Tennis Club. College of Charleston swept the Panthers, 7-0, on March 19 and the University of Nebraska swept UNI, 4-0, on March 2. The Panthers were also swept three times last season.

 

PANTHERS EDGE AIR FORCE

• UNI won its seventh match of the season on Saturday, March 1 holding off Air Force, 4-3, in Lincoln, Neb. The Panthers won all three doubles matches to win the pivotal doubles point. The Panthers are 4-0 on Saturdays this season.

 

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

• UNI has won 16 of its last 20 matches at the Black Hawk Tennis Club. The Panthers finished the season 5-3 at home this season after falling to both Illinois State and Indiana State on April 4 and 6.

 

PANTHER SWEEPS

• UNI has swept three opponents this season after rolling past South Dakota State, 7-0, at home on Feb. 22. The Panthers also swept UMKC and Wisconsin-Green Bay this year.

 

HANNES NAMED MVC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

• Senior Carolina Hannes (Sao Paulo, Brazil) was named State Farm Missouri Valley Conference women's tennis athlete of the week, the league announced Feb. 26. This is the third time this season a Panther tennis player has earned this honor.

• Hannes finished 3-0 in singles play to help the Panthers finish 2-1 on the weekend. The senior helped UNI topple South Dakota State, 7-0, and Chicago State, 4-3. Hannes was dominating in singles play rolling past Nellie Bloomberg of South Dakota State and Ameena Payne of Chicago State 6-0, 6-0. She beat Stephanie Harmazy of Eastern Illinois 6-1, 6-2 in the Panthers lone loss of the weekend. 

 

PARITALA EARNS MVC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS

• University of Northern Iowa senior Meghana Paritala (Secunderaba, India) was named State Farm Missouri Valley Conference women's tennis athlete of the week, the league announced Feb. 18.

• Paritala finished 3-0 in No. 1 singles play during a three match road trip in Wisconsin this weekend. She helped the Panthers finish 2-1 in dual meet play with victories over Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 6-1, and Wisconsin-Green Bay, 7-0. In UNI's first dual meet loss of the season against Marquette she was the lone Panthers to win, beating Erin Watkins 6-3, 6-3. 

 

ROAD TRIP

• The Panthers finished 2-1 on its three-match road trip in Wisconsin on Feb. 15-17. Marquette handed UNI its first loss of the 2008 season, 6-1. Senior Meghana Paritala was the lone Panther to pick up a victory in No. 1 singles play over Erin Watkins 6-3, 6-3.

• The Panthers were able to pick up two road victories over Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 6-1, and Wisconsin-Green Bay, 7-0.

 

PANTHERS 4-0 FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT SEASON

• The UNI tennis team started its season 4-0 for the fourth consecutive year. The Panthers started its season winning two home matches over UMKC, 7-0 and Western Illinois 6-1, and rolled past Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 6-1, and Wisconsin-Green Bay, 7-0, to improve to 4-0 on the season.

 

KANADE EARNS MVC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS

• University of Northern Iowa sophomore Sampada Kanade (Mumbai, India) earned State Farm Missouri Valley Conference women's tennis Athlete of the Week honors, the league announced on Feb. 5.

• Kanade was perfect, posting a 2-0 singles record along with a 2-0 doubles mark. She helped UNI cruise to a 2-0 overall mark with victories over UMKC (7-0) and Western Illinois (5-2). The sophomore earned a 6-1, 6-2 win against UMKC's Chelsea Horner and topped Western Illinois's Kim Lennartsson 6-1, 6-2 in No. 1 singles play. Kanade also teamed with Taynara Moraes to earn a pair of wins in the No. 1 doubles slot.

 

PANTHER WOES

• Freshman Diana Mendez was the lone Panther to pick up a victory in the Panthers spring season opener at the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa on Jan. 25-26. Mendez beat Iowa's Kayla Berry 6-4, (4-6), 10-6. UNI lost every match on the first day of competition against Iowa in doubles play and Iowa State in singles. The Panthers lost six out of seven singles matches to Iowa on the final day of competition and all three doubles matches against Iowa State.

 

GONZALEZ-GARRIDO JOINS PANTHERS

• Laia Gonzalez-Garrido (Vinaros, Spain) is coach Sachin Kirtane's newest addition to the Panther squad for the spring season. Gonzalez-Garrido has been ranked as high as No. 120 in the open rankings in Spain. She has a lot of experience playing tournaments all over Europe and is one of the top players in Spain. She will help make the Panther line-up a lot deeper and stronger, Kirtane said.

 

KIRTANE ADDS FIRST PLAYER TO 2008-2009 ROSTER

• Talia Jang-Stewart (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play tennis for the Panthers in the 2008-2009 season. She is a top junior Canadian tennis

player and will be able to contribute to the Panthers' squad next season.

 

SECONDS ALL AROUND

• Two UNI tennis players finished second at the Missouri Valley Individual Championships in Omaha, Neb., on Sept. 30. Carolina Hannes was runner-up in No. 5 singles, losing to Marie Caujolle of Indiana State 0-6, 6-3, 6-3. Freshman Diana Mendez lost in the No. 6 finals to Tanja Hrovatic of Illinois State 6-2, 6-2.

 

• The Panthers also brought home two runner-up finishes in doubles play at the MVC Individual Championships. The duo of Sampada Kanade and Taynara Moraes lost in No. 1 doubles play to Indiana State's Jennifer Migan and Joanne Schickerling, 8-3. The other Panther team to finish second was Meghana Paritala and Diana Mendez in No. 3 doubles play. Carolyne Parent and Tanja Hrovatic beat the Panther squad, 8-3.

 

PANTHERS DOUBLE TEAM WINS AT MINNESOTA

• The doubles team of Diana Mendez and Ashton Schwerin won the Star Doubles Flight at the Minnesota Invitational on Sept. 16. The freshman duo beat Nellie Bloomberg and Jenny Sondreal of South Dakota State, 8-2.

 

MORAES FINISHES FOURTH AT MINNESOTA

• Junior Taynara Moraes was the Panthers' top singles finisher at the Minnesota Invitational, placing fourth in the Gold Singles Flight. Moraes lost her third-place match to Jackie Sperling of Minnesota 6-4, 6-3.

 

PANTHERS OPEN FALL SEASON AT DRAKE

• Freshman Diana Mendez started her Panther career on the right foot going 2-1 during the Lloyd Stockstad Invitational in Des Moines Sept. 7-8. Mendez rolled past Drake's Sarah Plowman and Kari Sloboth before being knocked out in the Class B semifinals by Erin Karonis of Iowa State 6-2, 6-1.

• Senior Meghana Paritala beat Chrissy Dercuin of Iowa State 6-3, 6-2 in her season opener, but was knocked out in the second round of Class A play by Nebraska's Ashley Finnegan 6-4, 6-3. Paritala was the defending champion at the Lloyd Stockstad Invitational.

• Senior Carolina Hannes bounced back after dropping her opening match to Karonis of Iowa State 6-1, 6-1, and was able to reach the finals of the Class B consolation bracket.

 

HEAD COACH Sachin Kirtane

Sachin Kirtane begins his sixth season as the University of Northern Iowa's women's tennis coach. In five seasons at the helm, Kirtane has turned the program around, going 17-6 last season. Kirtane has an overall record of 72-47 as the Panther head coach. He ranks second in both career wins (72) and all-time winning percentage (.605). Kirtane needs 11 victories to catch all-time wins leader Pete Mazula. Mazula also holds the all-time winning percentage mark (.664).

 

Kirtane has guided the Panthers to three consecutive winning seasons, including a 19-4 record in the 2005 season. During the 2005 campaign, Kirtane led the Panthers to their first Missouri Valley Conference championship match only to lose regular season champion Illinois State.

 

In 2007, Kirtane led the Panthers to a second place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 6-2 league record. Kirtane holds a 16-10 conference mark the past three seasons after 1-8 records in his first two seasons.

 

His second season saw the team achieve the goal he had set forth of simply to, "get better." The team, while boasting only one senior, went 7-12 overall.

 

From 1998-2002, Kirtane was the assistant men's and women's tennis coach at Valdosta State University. He helped lead both teams to the finals of the Gulf South Conference Championships in 1998-99. In 2000, the men's team was ranked fourth in the nation. The women's team won the conference title and reached the semi-finals of the NCAA Division II Championship in Pensacola, Fla. In 2001, the men's team was ranked second in the nation and won its second consecutive conference title.

 

Kirtane graduated from VSU in 1998 with a marketing degree. In 2000, he earned his master's from VSU in business administration.