March 22, 2008

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Head coach Alessandro De Marzo won his 58th career women's match to set the USC Upstate women's tennis program record on Saturday afternoon as it downed FGCU, 7-0, in Atlantic Sun Conference action at the USC Upstate Tennis Complex. The Spartans, meanwhile, improved to 12-2 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the A-Sun.

De Marzo, in his fourth year as head coach, broke the mark set by his predecessor, Tami Matheny, who won 57 matches from 1998-2004. De Marzo is currently 58-23 (.716) in his four seasons at Upstate. In his first three years, De Marzo led the Spartans to three straight NCAA Division II appearances.

Upstate won all three doubles matches to take the first point en route to the sweep of FGCU (4-12 overall, 1-5 A-Sun). Junior Anna Novo (Caracas, Venezuela/El-Angel) and freshman Emilia Milovanovic (Paris, France/CNED) downed Maria Braniecka and Jordan Vaughn, 8-3, at No. 1 doubles, senior Susana Hernandez (Cali, Columbia/Colegio Americano) and junior Daniela Lovera (Caracas, Venezuela/Santa Rosa Lima) downed Maria Maggiorini and Lauren Pfeiffer, 8-1, at No. 2 doubles and junior Maria Herrera (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and senior Diana Martinez (Medllin, Colombia/Nuestra Senora del Rosario) capped off the sweep with an 8-4 win over Brett Kinley and Leah Johnson at No. 3.

The Spartans continued to roll in singles play, with Hernandez winning her 60th career match with a 6-1, 2-0, retirement win over Braniecka at No. 2 singles. She is the second player in school history to reach 60 singles wins along with Martinez and she also joined the 60-doubles-win mark, also joining Martinez in that club as the only players in school history to do that.

Martinez added a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles against Vaughn, as she won her 130th career combined match (68 singles, 62 doubles) to become the first player in school history to reach that mark. Herrera posted another 6-1, 6-2 win against Johnson at No. 5 singles to clinch the match for Upstate. Lovera added a 6-4, 6-1 win over Pfeiffer at No. 3 singles to put Upstate ahead, 5-0.

The Spartans had to take the last two matches in super tiebreaks with junior Vivian Neuenschwander (Arequipa, Peru/Max-Uhle) taking a 7-5, 4-6, 11-9 win against Kinley at No. 6 singles and Novo downing Maggiorini, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 10-4 to close out the match.

Upstate will look to keep its perfect conference record in tact when Florida Gulf Coast visits the USC Upstate Tennis Complex on Saturday, March 22 at 10 a.m.

Women's Tennis Results
USC Upstate 7, Florida Gulf Coast 0
 Singles competition
1. Anna Novo (UPST) def. Maria Maggiorini (FGCU) 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 10-4
2. Susana Hernandez (UPST) def. Maria Braniecka (FGCU) 6-1, 2-0, retired
3. Daniela Lovera (UPST) def. Lauren Pfeiffer (FGCU) 6-4, 6-1
4. Diana Martinez (UPST) def. Jordan Vaughn (FGCU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Maria Herrera (UPST) def. Leah Johnson (FGCU) 6-1, 6-2
6. V. Neuenschwander (UPST) def. Brett Kinley (FGCU) 7-5, 4-6, 11-9
 Doubles competition
1. Anna Novo/Emilia Milovanovic (UPST) def. Maria Braniecka/Jordan
Vaughn (FGCU) 8-3
2. Susana Hernandez/Daniela Lovera (UPST) def. Maria Maggiorini/
Lauren Pfeiffer (FGCU) 8-1
3. Maria Herrera/Diana Martinez (UPST) def. Brett Kinley/Leah
Johnson (FGCU) 8-4
Match Notes:
Florida Gulf Coast 4-12, 1-5 A-Sun
USC Upstate 12-2, 6-0 A-Sun
T-2:38  A-68