FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 9, 2009) - After coming off its best weekend series this season the ETSU women's tennis team split a pair of non-conference matches Monday dropping 4-2 against No. 72 Northern Arizona, before making quick work of Weber State 7-0 at the Flagstaff Athletic Club in Flagstaff, Ariz.

ETSU (4-4, 2-0 A-Sun) opened play by taking the doubles point from the ITA ranked Lumberjacks. Senior Tara Byrne (Johnson City) and freshman Karina Kedzo (Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela), along with junior Yevgeniya Stupak (Kyiv, Ukraine) and freshman Paula Jamie (Madrid, Spain) all picked up key dual victories together.

As singles play opened Northern Arizona rallied taking a 2-1 lead after ETSU senior Vita Moskaliova (Minsk, Belarus) fell to Oris Golovics, 6-2, 6-2, while Byrne dropped a heartbreaking three-set tie breaker to Edit Suhajda, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).

However, after Northern Arizona winning the first two singles contests No. 110-ranked Stupak continued to dominate singles play this season, staying unbeaten with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Kim Van Ginkel in No. 1 singles aciton. Unfortunately for ETSU both Paula Jamie and Kedzo would go on to fall in their singles matches, while sophomore Tara Sheets (Gate City, Va.) contest with Animee Oki was cut short after one set with Sheets winning 7-6 (7-5) giving the Lumberjacks their fourth straight win.

"Northern Arizona is a good team and overall I thought our girls played hard but fell a bit short in their effort of closing out a couple of matches," said head coach Steve Brooks. "Both courts that we played on today really gave NAU a big advantage. Our team played on fast courts at Mississippi State a couple of weeks ago, but this surface was by far the fastest surface that we will play on. With the combination of these elements our team ended up creating a lot of pressure, which in return I believe will only help our team as we get deeper into conference play."

In the second match of the day the Lady Bucs would jump out to an early lead and never look back dropping Weber State 7-0.

After sweeping all three doubles matches, Stupak opened singles play by dropping the Wildcats' Greyce Farias, 6-0, 6-1, while fellow upperclassman Tara Byrne made quick work of Caroline Drugge, 6-1, 6-1.

ETSU followed that up as Vita Moskaliova picked up her second singles win of the spring dominating Keye Jenkins, 7-5, 6-3. After disappointing finishes against Northern Arizona, both Paula Jamie and Karina Kedzo returned to form by closing out Weber State's Brittany Moore and Karlie Hancock with straight set victories.

Rounding out the scores for the Lady Bucs was Tara Sheets who downed Alyssia Pyne in straight sets 6-0, 6-1 giving the Gate City, Va., native her third victory in her last four dual matches.

The Lady Bucs will now stay out west before returning to A-Sun Conference action with a match Friday at league foe Mercer at the LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center in Macon, Ga.

For more information on the ETSU women's tennis team please visit www.ETSUBucs.com.