March 10, 2009

IRVINE, Calif. (SMU)-No. 41 SMU women's tennis (16-2) blanked No. 38 UC-Irvine (9-4) in a 7-0 sweep on Tuesday, March 10 at Anteater Tennis Stadium, with No. 66 freshman Marta Lesniak collecting her fourth straight singles win over No. 111 Stephanie Hammel, fighting through a first set tiebreaker to win the match (7-6, 6-4) in straight sets.

To start the match, SMU's top pair, No. 40 senior Natalia Bubien and junior Pavi Francis, overtook Clare Fermin and Rebecca Kwan in an 8-5 victory, while No. 79 Mustang duo junior Nicole Briceno and senior Kseniia Tokarieva gave the Anteaters' nationally-ranked No. 79 tandem Miranda Young and Courtney Byron a loss (8-4) in the number three spot. As well, Mustang senior pair Monica Neveklovksa and Kristen Reid played a fourth doubles match, defeating Hannah Holladay and Ali Murphy (8-4).

In addition to Lesniak's win in singles, freshman Aleksandra Malyarchikova earned a victory (6-3, 6-0) over Brooke Bartlett to remain undefeated (4-0). Senior Natalia Bubien returned to peak performance, collecting a victory (6-4, 6-2) against Byron, while junior Pavi Francis battled out through a second set loss and third set tiebreaker to earn a gritty win (6-0, 4-6, 10-8) over Fermin.

"The person who really stood out today was Natalia (Bubien); she has had to deal with a minor injury the past two weeks and for her to be feeling better and beat a nationally-ranked athlete today in a very impressive fashion was rewarding to watch. I am glad to have my old Nat back in good shape, mentally and physically," said head coach Lauren Longbotham-Meisner.

Briceno defeated (6-0, 6-3) Heidi Kaloi in the number five spot, and Tokarieva ousted (6-3, 6-4) Holladay at number six. Junior Mustang Sophie Quist played in a number seven singles match, dropping Murphy in three sets (6-1, 4-6, 10-8).

"I was glad that we were able to play a number four doubles and number seven singles match to help everyone involved in competition, and to come away with four doubles wins and seven singles wins is a great way to start our spring break," said Longbotham-Meisner.

"Winning every match we played against a top 40 team is just incredible and really shows the depth and character of this team. However, we have little time to celebrate this win, as we have a very good Pepperdine team tomorrow and we have to continue to stay focused and determined in order to beat them."

The Mustangs return to action on Wednesday against Pepperdine at 1:30 p.m. at the Ralph-Straus Tennis Center.

SMU vs UC-Irvine3/10/2009 at Irvine, Calif.
#41 SMU 7, #38 UC-Irvine 0
 Singles competition1. Marta Lesniak (SMU) def. Stephanie Hammel (UCI) 7-6, 6-42. Aleks Malyarschikova (SMU) def. Brooke Bartlett (UCI) 6-3, 6-03. Natalia Bubien (SMU) def. Courtney Byron (UCI) 6-4, 6-24. Pavi Francis (SMU) def. Clare Fermin (UCI) 6-0, 4-6, 10-85. Nicole Briceno (SMU) def. Heidi Kaloi (UCI) 6-0, 6-36. Kseniia Tokarieva (SMU) def. Hannah Holladay (UCI) 6-3, 6-4
 Doubles competition1. Aleks Malyarschikova/Marta Lesniak (SMU) def. Stephanie Hammel/Heidi Kaloi (UCI) 8-52. Natalia Bubien/Pavi Francis (SMU) def. Rebecca Kwan/Clare Fermin (UCI) 8-63. Kseniia Tokarieva/Nicole Briceno (SMU) def. Courtney Byron/Miranda Young (UCI) 8-4
Match Notes:SMU 16-2; National ranking #41UC-Irvine 9-4; National ranking #38