April 14, 2009

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NEW ORLEANS - It was a contest that was originally scheduled to played over a month ago, but for the Tulane University women's tennis team, it was worth the wait as the Green Wave defeated Conference USA foe Memphis, 6-1, Tuesday morning at the Goldring Tennis Center.

Originally slated to battle the Tigers in Houston back on Feb. 21 only to have the match postponed due to inclement weather, Tulane won a hotly-contested doubles point, two matches to one, and emerged victorious in five of the six singles contests to wrap up the regular season 12-11 overall and 3-4 in C-USA play. Memphis, meanwhile, concludes the regular season 10-12 on the year and 2-3 in league action.

"A 6-1 victory today over a team as talented as Memphis is a good confidence builder for us," Tulane head women's tennis coach Terri Sisk said. "This match was a lot closer than the score actually reflects. I think the girls did a great job today of when we hit those valleys, we were able to climb back out of them. That is something that we've discussed all year and they are peaking at the right time in that particular part of the game. I think it was a great effort today by both teams."

Memphis got off to a good start as the doubles tandem of Ashley Murdock and Marjorie Ondeck made quick work of Anna Bartenstein and Elizabeth Hamlin on Court 1, 8-3. Tulane evened the contest with an 8-2 victory by Marcela Fonseca and Jessica Lange over Sarah Irvin and Kristin Chamberlain on Court 3 and the point came down to the results on Court 2 where Mariam Kurdadze and Lindsay Dvorak locked horns with Amanda Brown and Lindsey Wiseman.

The two teams traded points early on, but with the Tulane tandem leading 7-6 late in the match, Kurdadze and Dvorak rallied to outscore the Tiger team 2-1 the rest of the way to give the Green Wave a 1-0 advantage heading into singles play.

"That was clutch," Sisk said of Tulane winning the doubles point. "With it being such an emotional doubles point, we knew we needed that point playing a team like Memphis. Going into singles up 1-0 is always easier. It doesn't always mean that you're going to close out the match, but it takes a little bit of pressure off. I think that was a huge momentum builder for us today."

Memphis tied the score courtesy of Brown's 6-2, 6-1 win over Dvorak on Court 3, but that would be the lone point of the day for the Tigers as Tulane took control from there. Three of the remaining five contests went the distance, but Tulane came out on top in each case.

The Wave claimed the lead for good when Kurdadze finished off Ondeck on Court 2, 6-1, 6-1, and took a 3-1 advantage moments later when Fonseca swept Irvin on Court 5, 6-3, 6-4. Caroline Gerber scored the winning point with a 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-0 win over Chamberlain in No. 4 action, and Bartenstein made it a 5-1 affair after outlasting Murdock on Court 1, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

The longest match of the day came on Court 6 where Hamlin and Wiseman squared off. Wiseman took the early advantage with a 7-6 (7-5) win in the opening stanza, but Hamlin roared back with a 6-0 shutout in the second set to send the match into a third-and-deciding frame. The two players traded blows for most of the match, but with the score tied at 5-all, Hamlin scored the final two points of the day to account for the final score.

"That's one of the components of the game that we talk a good bit about," Sisk said of her team's effort in three-set matches. "Whether you lose or you win that first set, you've got to continue to play to win. I thought they handled themselves very well in that regard today. It is one of those things that you keep talking about it and you know it's going to turn around. It worked in our favor today."

The Green Wave return to action on Thursday, April 16, when they travel to Houston for the 2009 Conference USA Tournament, hosted by Rice at the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium. Tulane earned the tourney's No. 10 seed and will battle seventh-seeded UCF (11-9) at 2 p.m. (CDT). The tournament continues through Sunday with the championship match slated for 10 a.m. and the winner receiving the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

TULANE (12-11, 3-4 C-USA) 6, MEMPHIS (10-12, 2-3 C-USA) 1

SINGLES
No. 1 - Anna Bartenstein (TLN) def. Ashley Murdock (UM) - 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
No. 2 - Mariam Kurdadze (TLN) def. Marjorie Ondeck (UM) - 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 - Amanda Brown (UM) def. Lindsay Dvorak (TLN) - 6-2, 6-1
No. 4 - Caroline Gerber (TLN) def. Kristin Chamberlain (UM) - 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-0
No. 5 - Marcela Fonseca (TLN) def. Sarah Irvin (UM) - 6-3, 6-4
No. 6 - Elizabeth Hamlin (TLN) def. Lindsey Wiseman (UM) - 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 7-5

DOUBLES
No. 1 - Murdock/Ondeck (UM) def. Bartenstein/Hamlin (TLN) - 8-3
No. 2 - Kurdadze/Dvorak (TLN) def. Brown/Wiseman (UM) - 9-7
No. 3 - Fonseca/Jessica Lange (TLN) def. Irvin/Chamberlain (UM) - 8-2

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