ETSU’s 24-match home winning streak ends with loss to Owls

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 7, 2012) – Jana Hueckinghaus pulled out the deciding point at No. 4 singles against senior Karina Kedzo (Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela), 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-0, as  Kennesaw State ended the ETSU women’s tennis team’s streak of 24-consecutive home wins with a, 4-3, victory on Saturday at the Buddy Hartsell Tennis Center.

Along with its three-year home winning streak coming to an end, ETSU (9-8, 6-2 A-Sun) had its five-match winning streak snapped while Kennesaw State (13-6, 5-2 A-Sun) extended its winning streak to seven in a row. ETSU’s last home loss came March 24, 2009 against Winthrop, 5-2.

“We worked extremely hard today, but just left too many chances out on the court,” assistant coach Travis Sandlant said. “We need to capitalize, especially when we change the momentum, and get back into the match.”

In doubles, ETSU took the early advantage, but could not finish the point after dropping the next two sets.

Kedzo and senior Diana Navrostska (Lviv, Ukraine) got the action started at No. 2 doubles with a perfect set against Vera Shkundina and Therese Lagerkvist, 8-0. The final two sets were taken by the Owls, as Jessica Brumit (Elizabethton, Tenn.) and Giulia Andreazza (Balneario Camboriu, Brazil) fell to Tamara Plocher and Hueckinghaus at No. 3, while Paula Jaime (Madrid, Spain) and Marine Wieliczko (Rouen, France) were dropped at No. 1 by Alexandra Apostu and Virginie Stein. Both sets were decided, 8-6.

ETSU stormed back with the match’s next three points. Brumit put the Bucs on the board by defeating Kelsey Kenneday, 6-0, 6-1, before Navrostska put ETSU in front at No. 5 with a second, 6-0, 6-1 win against Lagerkvist. At No. 1, Jaime improved her team-leading singles record to 23-9 with her sixth-win in a row by defeating Shkundina, 6-3, 6-2.

One point from taking the match, ETSU watched as KSU took the final three matches to sneak away with their fifth A-Sun win. Andreazza fell to Apostu in two close sets at No. 2, 7-5, 7-5, and Stein pulled away from Wieliczko in three sets, 6-0, 5-7, 6-4.

With the match tied at 3-3, Hueckinghaus won a second set tiebreak to keep the Owls alive, and pulled out the third set against Kedzo to give KSU the victory.

The ETSU women’s tennis team’s next match will be a makeup from Feb. 19, when it travels to Boone, N.C., to take on Appalachian State.

For more information on ETSU tennis, please visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the tennis links.