WOMEN’S TENNIS CONCLUDES ALBUQUERQUE TRIP WITH LOSS AT NEW MEXICO

3/10/2007

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Sacramento State freshman Katrina Zheltova and senior Cecilia Helland both posted victories in singles play but it was not enough as the Hornets fell to host New Mexico, 4-3, in a women’s tennis match Saturday afternoon at the Lobo Tennis Club.

One day after knocking off New Mexico State (6-1) at the Lobo Tennis Club, the Hornets were narrowly defeated by the host Lobos. Sacramento State entered the match ranked 48th in the nation while New Mexico was ranked 51st.

With the victory, New Mexico improved to 7-3. The Hornets, who had won five of six, dropped to 8-4 with the loss. Sacramento State has now played 10 of its first 12 matches of the season away from home. However, the Hornets return to the friendly confines next week when they take on Big Sky Conference rival Montana on Saturday, March 17, at 1 p.m.

Sacramento State received doubles victories from the tandems of Zheltova/Luba Schifris (No. 1) and Anastassia Lyssenko/Aileen Tsan (No. 3) to pick up the doubles point. The Hornets have now won the doubles point in each of the team’s last seven matches.

In singles play, Zheltova knocked off Ola Abou-Zekry at No. 1 (6-4, 5-7, 10-4), and Helland defeated Jennifer Ryba at No. 6 (6-2, 6-3). However, New Mexico’s Nos. 2-5 singles players each won in straight sets to give the Lobos the necessary four points for victory. Tsan kept things close in her match at No. 3, but fell in the first-set tiebreaker by the score of 7-5.

Helland improved her singles record this season to 11-1, and Zheltova improved to 10-2.

#51 New Mexico 4, #48 Sacramento State 3

Doubles
1. Zheltova/Schifris (SAC) def. Abou-Zekry/Scott (UNM), 9-7
2. Quintal/White (UNM) def. Karina Jarlkaganova/Martinez Gutierrez (SAC), 8-3
3. Lyssenko/Tsan (SAC) def. Ryba/Zmak (UNM), 8-1

Singles
1. Katrina Zheltova (SAC) def. Ola Abou-Zekry, 6-4, 5-7, 10-4    
2. Mackenzie White (UNM) def. Anastassia Lyssenko (SAC), 6-2, 6-2
3. Sandra Zmak (UNM) def. Aileen Tsan (SAC), 7-6 (5), 6-1
4. Lucy Scott (UNM) def. Luba Schifris (SAC), 6-1, 6-2
5. Nora Quintal (UNM) def. Joyce Martinez Gutierrez (SAC), 6-1, 6-2
6. Cecilia Helland (SAC) def. Jennifer Ryba (UNM), 6-2, 6-3