March 18, 2006
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The No. 19 TCU women's tennis team knocked off No. 16 Harvard 5-2 in a rematch of the Feb. 3 contest that saw the Crimson slip by the Frogs 4-3. Junior Ana Cetnik and Helena Besovic teamed to defeat the No. 3 ranked doubles tandem of Melissa Anderson and Elsa O' Riain.
"I think that we did a good job today to get back on track," stated TCU head coach Dave Borelli. "It has been a difficult week. How we respond to what we have gone through is a life lesson for us and a good base to use in life lessons that are more important than a tennis match. To turn things around and make things better the rest of the season is a life lesson that they can store away and fall back on and use when things are difficult. I thought the way they approached today and how they played was a great way to respond to my challenge."
TCU started the day by adjusting the doubles lineup and paired Cetnik and Besovic at No. 1 to take on the No. 3 doubles team of Anderson and O' Riain. Cetnik and Besovic prevailed 6-2 (ret.) to score the first victory for the Frogs.
"There was an opportunity to change things up a bit and get some new chemistry going," said Borelli. "It was really great the way that we played. A couple of teams had never played and I felt we had to do something different."
The Frogs captured the doubles point when freshman Anna Sydorska and sophomore Andrea Morgado paired at court No. 2 to dispatch Harvard's Stephanie Schnitter and Eva Wang 8-5.
Besovic, ranked No. 41 in singles play, posted her second win of the day with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over O' Riain and give TCU a 2-0 lead in the match.
Sophomore
Kewa Nichols moved the Frogs within one point of the victory after topping Preethi Mukundan 6-4, 6-4 at No. 5. Nichols evened the season series between the two after falling 6-2, 6-4 in their first meeting.
No. 12 Nicole Leimbach clinched the match for TCU with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Wang.
Sydorska posted the final win for the Frogs by scoring a 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Laura Peterzen at No. 3. A product of Lviv, Ukraine, Sydorska is ranked 82nd in singles play and ranks No. 15 in doubles while pairing with Besovic.
TCU returns to action and the friendly confines of the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on Friday when it welcomes Wyoming to open Mountain West Conference play. Match time is slated for 6 p.m.
No. 19 TCU def. No. 16 Harvard, 5-2
Singles
1. No. 12 Nicole Leimbach (TCU) def. No. 111 Eva Wang (HU) 6-1, 6-3
2. No. 41 Helena Besovic (TCU) def. No. 59 Elsa O' Riain (HU) 6-4, 6-2
3. No. 82 Sydorska (TCU) def. Laura Peterzen (HU) 7-6(3), 6-3
4. No. 87 Melissa Anderson (HU) def. No. 105 Ana Cetnik (TCU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
5. Kewa Nichols (TCU) def. Preethi Mukundan (HU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Stephanie Schnitter (HU) def. Gloriann Lopez (TCU) 7-6(5), 4-6, (10-7)
Order of Finish: 2, 5, 1, 6, 3, 4
Doubles
1. Cetnik/Besovic (TCU) def. No. 3 Anderson/O' Riain (HU) 6-2(ret.)
2. Sydorska/Morgado (TCU) def. Schnitter/Wang (HU) 8-5
3. Mukundan/Peterzen (HU) def. Nichols/Leimbach (TCU) 8-6
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
