March 30, 2008

QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's women's tennis team traveled to Upstate New York on Saturday to take on BIG EAST rival Syracuse, and lost the conference tilt by a close score of 4-3. The team, however, rebounded with its own 4-3 win over NJIT on Sunday at the Courts at St. John's, despite a depleted roster due to injuries.

With the split, St. John's record stands at 4-10 (1-3 BIG EAST). Syracuse moves to 9-11 (6-4 BIG EAST) with the win and NJIT falls to 9-6 after the loss.

At Syracuse, senior Maria Zivcicova and sophomore Ira Aleksova teamed up to win at No. 1 doubles, 9-8 (7-4), but that was not enough for the point as the Orange's Nos. 2 and 3 pairs defeated St. John's and Syracuse took an early 1-0 lead.

In singles play, wins by Zivcicova at No. 1, Aleksova at No. 3 and freshman Jenny Yonkus at No. 6 gave St. John's its three points, but Syracuse won three singles matches of its own and earned the 4-3 win.

On Sunday, the Red Storm took on the Highlanders of NJIT in its first match at the Courts at St. John's this year. The roster was lessened by injuries, forcing St. John's to forfeit two positions. The Red Storm won the doubles point after the teams of Aleksova/Zivcicova and Yonkus/freshman Emily Barnett won at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

At No. 1 singles, Zivcicova was forced to retire after her first game loss due to a nagging hip injury. Barnett and Aleksova won their respective matches at Nos. 2 and 3. Senior Ashley Harper clinched the win for St. John's with her first win of the season, a straight-set 7-5, 6-1 victory over NJIT's Dasa Stanimirovic.

The women's tennis team returns to the courts for back-to-back BIG EAST matches Tuesday, April 1, at UConn and Thursday, April 3, at Rutgers. The match in Storrs, Conn. is set to begin at 2 p.m., while first serve in Piscataway, N.J. is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Syracuse 4, St. John's 3
Drumlins Tennis Center
March 29, 2008

Doubles
1. Maria Zivcicova / Ira Aleksova (STJ) def. Simone Kalhorn/Jacquelynn Tang (SU), 9-8 (7-4)
2. Ashley Spicer/Chelsea Jones (SU) def. Gabija Gasiunaite / Emily Barnett (STJ), 9-7
3. Maria Vasilyeva/Christina Tan (SU) def. Jenny Yonkus / Ashley Harper (STJ), 8-3

Singles
1. Maria Zivcicova (STJ) def. Christina Tan (SU), 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 (7-6)
2. Simone Kalhorn (SU) def. Emily Barnett (STJ), 6-3, 6-3
3. Ira Aleksova (STJ) def. Maria Vasilyeva (SU), 3-6, 6-2, 10-8
4. Ashley Spicer (SU) def. Gabija Gasiunaite (STJ), 6-1, 6-1
5. Chelsea Jones (SU) def. Ashley Harper (STJ), 6-1, 6-4
6. Jenny Yonkus (STJ) def. Jacquelynn Tang (SU), 6-2, 6-3

St. John's 4, NJIT 3
The Courts at St. John's
March 30, 2008

Doubles
1. Ira Aleksova / Maria Zivcicova (STJ) def. Iulia Doci/Fatima Kasem (NJIT), 8-4
2. Jenny Yonkus / Emily Barnett (STJ) def. Isha Toor/Dasa Stanimirovic (NJIT), 8-5
3. Did Not Play - Chiori Koike/Fanny Aizier wins by Default
Order of Finish: 1, 2*

Singles
1. Iulia Doci (NJIT) def. Maria Zivcicova (STJ), 1-0, ret.
2. Emily Barnett (STJ) def. Isha Toor (NJIT), 6-3, 6-2
3. Ira Aleksova (STJ) def. Fatima Kasem (NJIT), 6-0, 6-0
4. Fanny Aizier (NJIT) def. Jenny Yonkus (STJ), 7-5, 3-6, (10-3)
5. Ashley Harper (STJ) def. Dasa Stanimirovic (NJIT), 7-5, 6-1
6. Did Not Play - Chiori Koike wins by Default
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 5*, 4

* clincher