Jan. 26, 2002

FORT WORTH, Texas - The 22nd-ranked TCU women's tennis team beat the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon. The Frogs go to 1-0 for the spring season, while the Blue Raiders fall to 0-4.

The Frogs won the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 3. At No. 2, senior Leoni Weirich and sophomore Saber Pierce defeated Verena Preiss and Jennifer Klaschka by a score of 8-6. Senior Katrin Gaber and freshman Karla Mancinas took the win at No. 3 doubles over Michaela Gridling and Carien Venter, 8-1.

TCU picked up four points on the singles side of the match with wins at Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6. Leoni Weirich defeated MTSU's Verena Preiss, 6-3, 7-6, at No. 3, while Saber Pierce topped Michaela Gridling at No. 4, 6-0, 6-2. At No. 5, junior Rosa Perez won in straight sets (6-4, 6-0) over Carien Venter, and Karla Mancinas defeated Tanja Buchheim of MTSU at No. 6, 6-2, 6-4.

TCU's Katrin Gaber, ranked 60th in the country, battled 33rd-ranked Manon Kruse to a tiebreaker to win the first set, 7-6 (6), but Gaber was unable to capture the win as Kruse took the second and third sets each by a score of 6-4. Sophomore Paty Aburto, No. 98 in the country, fought MTSU's Jennifer Klaschka down to the wire in the third set, but Klaschka came out on top with the 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) win.

The two teams played an extra singles and doubles match. TCU junior Brenna Shackelford topped Emily Vest, 8-3, in the singles match, while the TCU duo of Brenna Shackelford and freshman Ivonne Andrade bested Emily Vest and Tanja Buchheim, 8-3, on the doubles side.

TCU next hosts no. 19 Texas A&M on Sunday, February 3 at noon. The match will be played on the Bernard "Tut" Bartzen Varsity Tennis Courts at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.

(#22) TCU 5, Middle Tennessee State 2
Records: TCU 1-0, MTSU 0-4

Singles
1. #33 Manon Kruse (MTSU) def. #60 Katrin Gaber (TCU) 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-4
2. Jennifer Klaschka (MTSU) def. #98 Paty Aburto (TCU) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5)
3. Leoni Weirich (TCU) def. Verena Preiss (MTSU) 6-3, 7-6
4. Saber Pierce (TCU) def. Michaela Gridling (MTSU) 6-0, 6-2
5. Rosa Perez (TCU) def. Carien Venter (MTSU) 6-4, 6-0
6. Karla Mancinas (TCU) def. Tanja Buchheim (MTSU) 6-2, 6-4

Doubles
1. #32 Manon Kruse/Stacy Varnell (MTSU) def. #46 Rosa Perez/Paty Aburto (TCU) 8-6
2. Leoni Weirich/Saber Pierce (TCU) def. Verena Preiss/Jennifer Klaschka (MTSU) 8-6
3. Katrin Gaber/Karla Mancinas (TCU) def. Michaela Gridling/Carien Venter (MTSU) 8-1

Other Matches
Brenna Shackelford (TCU) def. Emily Vest (MTSU) 8-3
Brenna Shackelford/Ivonne Andrade (TCU) def. Emily Vest/Tanja Buchheim (MTSU) 8-3