UAB Women's Tennis Beats Louisiana-Lafayette, 4-3

Saturday, March 20

Hattiesburg, Miss.

11:00 AM

UAB

Louisiana

UAB Women's Tennis Beats Louisiana-Lafayette, 4-3

3/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis

March 20, 2004

HATTIESBURG, Miss. ----- The UAB women's tennis team swept the doubles competition and split six singles matches with Louisiana-Lafayette, as the Blazers took a 4-3 win from the Ragin' Cajuns here on Saturday afternoon.

"It was a close match but, in the end, the team that 'wanted it more' won it," said UAB head coach Mert Ertunga. "The fact that we were that team is exciting. The girls were hungry for a win and it showed because they did not play particularly well, yet fought extremely hard."

The Blazers (5-10, 1-2) started the match by sweeping all three doubles matches. UAB's Femke de Boer and Marrit Jansma teamed at the No. 1 position to defeat ULL's Thais Bortoletto and Celine VanWeydeveld, 8-4. The No. 2 match was won by the Blazers' Annemieke Elsholz and Julia von Samson over Louisiana-Lafayette's Kimmie Lyles and Cecilia Varela, 9-7. At No. 3 doubles, UAB's Nadia Dellarciprete and Samrin Tanzeem defeated the Ragin' Cajun's Sophie Cerbon and Susan Linden, 8-2.

UAB hung on in the singles matches, winning three of the six for the match win. The Blazers' Elsholz downed ULL's Linden, 6-4, 6-3, at the No. 2 spot. UAB's Dellarciprete defeated the Ragin' Cajun's Cerbon, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 5 singles. The Blazers' Tanzeem took the No. 6 match, as ULL's Bortoletto retired the match with the score tied 5-5 in the first set.

Louisiana-Lafayette (4-8) recorded wins at the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 slots. In the No. 1 tilt, the Ragin' Cajun's VanWeydeveld was a 7-5, 6-2, winner over UAB's de Boer. At the No. 3 position, ULL's Lyles defeated the Blazers' Jansma, 6-4, 6-4. Finally, Louisiana-Lafayette's Varela beat UAB's von Samson, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, in the No. 4 spot.

The Blazers will remain in Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Conference USA foe Southern Miss on Sunday.

UAB 4, Louisiana-Lafayette 3

Singles

1. Celine VanWeydeveld (ULL) def. Femke de Boer(UAB), 7-5, 6-2

2. Annemieke Elsholz (UAB) def. Susan Linden (ULL), 6-4, 6-3

3. Kimmie Lyles (ULL) def. Marrit Jansma, 6-4, 6-4

4. Cecilia Varela (ULL) def. Julia von Samson, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2

5. Nadia Dellarciprete (UAB) def. Sophie Cerbon (ULL), 6-2, 6-4

6. Samrin Tanzeem (UAB) def. Thalis Bortoletto (ULL), ret.

Doubles

1. de Boer/Jansma (UAB) def. Bortoletto/VanWeydeveld (ULL), 8-4

2. Dellarciprete/Jansma (UAB) def. Lyles/Varela, 9-7