Saturday, April 17, 2004

BLACKSBURG, Va. (April 17, 2004) - The East Tennessee State women's tennis team beat No. 65 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. Saturday night. The win comes after a loss this afternoon to No. 38 William & Mary. With the win over the Hokies, ETSU improves to 16-12 overall, while Virginia Tech drops to 12-11. ETSU won the crucial doubles point with a sweep in all three slots. Mariya Ilyina (Kyiv, Ukraine) and Sylwia Ziolkowska (Warsaw, Poland) battled to a 9-7 finish against Anat Elazari and Felice Lam. At No. 2, Jessica Irey (Clewiston, Fla.) and Gemma Halim (Jakarta, Indonesia) overpowered Ashley James and Carolyn Kramer, 8-4. Wrapping up doubles action at No. 3, Courtney McInnis (Waterboro, Maine) and Aimee Villavicencio (Lexington, Ky.) took the match against Meredith Holmes and Carolina Rodriguez in an 8-6 decision. In singles action, ETSU took three wins from Ziolkowska at No. 2 (6-1, 6-0), Halim at No. 3 (6-2, 6-3), and Ilyina and No. 5 (6-1, 6-2) to win the match. "This is the best win of my career at ETSU," said head coach Steve Brooks. "The team was tired from playing 4 straight matches, including the match against No. 38 ranked William & Mary. Still they were able to come out strong and compete strong. It was a great experience and a great win." Having completed their regular season play, the Bucs look to keep the momentum going as they head into Southern Conference tournament next week. ETSU 4, Virginia Tech 1 Doubles 1. Sylwia Ziolkowska/Mariya Ilyina (ETSU) def. Anat Elazari/Felice Lam (VT) 9-7 2. Gemma Halim/Jessica Irey (ETSU) def. Ashley James/Carolyn Kramer (VT) 8-4 3. Courtney McInnis/Aimee Villavicencio (ETSU) def. Meredith Holmes/Carolina Rodriguez (VT) 8-6 Singles 1. #105 Anat Elazari (VT) def. Courtney McInnis (ETSU) 6-1, 6-0 2. Sylwia Ziolkowska (ETSU) def. Carolyn Kramer (VT) 6-1, 6-0 3. Gemma Halim (ETSU) def. Felice Lam (VT) 6-2, 6-3 4. Ashley James (VT) vs. Jessica Irey (ETSU) - VT leading 6-1, 5-7, 3-2 5. Mariya Ilyina (ETSU) def. Carolina Rodriguez (VT) 6-1, 6-2 6. Tatiana Arriaran (ETSU) vs. Meredith Holmes (VT) - VT leading 7-6 (2), 2-3