Box Score
St. George, UT --- Following its match against Southern Utah University on Saturday afternoon, the Academy of Art University women's tennis team fought through rain delays en route to a late-night 7-2 loss versus Mesa State. The Urban Knights stayed close in the neutral site contest and junior Laone "Lala" Botshoma earned a tough three-set singles victory that featured two tiebreakers.
“The girls were just exhausted because they played a lot of hard fought matches in a short span of time,” Head Coach Dave Allen said. “I'm so proud of their composure and their positive attitude is very optimistic for the team. We didn't have the result we had expected, but the team is very aware of what we need to do and we will be ready for matches later in the season.”
In the singles competition, Botshoma won a thrilling match against Mesa State's Kate Lowder in the second position. After defeating Lowder 7-6 in the first set by way of a 7-2 tiebreaker, Botshoma was forced into a third set when Lowder answered back 6-1 in the second. The third set was settled by another tiebreaker in which Botshoma prevailed 7-6 (11-9).
Freshman Diane Phan fell to Kelleen Sera in the first spot when Phan retired following a 3-2 first set. The Mavericks' Victoria Sargent was victorious over sophomore Maria "Belen" Tenorio 6-3, 6-3 at number three while sophomore Paola Correa Fe could not get past Kaitlan Sera who won 6-3, 6-2 in the fourth position. Senior Anna Ritchie was bested by Amber Armendarez 6-4, 6-4 at number five and sophomore Cecilia Hedin was defeated by Cyndle Curfman 6-4, 6-4 in the sixth slot.
Phan and Botshoma teamed up for a strong 8-5 triumph against Lowder and Sargent in the first doubles contest. At number two, Correa Fe and Ritchie could not top the sister combination of Sera and Sera with an 8-5 result for Mesa State. Rounding out the doubles competition was an 8-6 result in favor of Armendarez and Curfman over Tenorio and Hedin.
“We are a very tightly knit team and a good group of players who are pulling for one another out there,” Coach Allen said. “I think we realize the value of a positive attitude and as the team continues to grow and improve, there will be a lot of pressure on our opponents when we face them again. This is a very competitive team and this growth now could be the difference late in the season.”
The Urban Knights will be back in action this Wednesday, Mar. 3 when they play host to Dominican University in the first home match for AAU this season. The singles and doubles matches will get underway starting at 1:30 PM on the courts at the San Francisco Tennis Club.
Tennis Match Results
Mesa State College vs Academy of Art University
Feb 27, 2010 at St. George, UT
(Green Valley Tennis Club)
Mesa State College 7, Academy of Art University 2
Singles competition
1. Kelleen Sera (MSC-WT) def. Diane Phan (AAU-WT) 3-2, retired
2. Laone Botshoma (AAU-WT) def. Kate Lowder (MSC-WT) 7-6 (7-2), 1-6, 7-6 (11-9)
3. Victoria Sargent (MSC-WT) def. Maria Tenorio (AAU-WT) 6-3, 6-3
4. Kaitlan Sera (MSC-WT) def. Paola Correa Fe (AAU-WT) 6-3, 6-2
5. Amber Armendarez (MSC-WT) def. Anna Ritchie (AAU-WT) 6-4, 6-4
6. Cyndle Curfman (MSC-WT) def. Cecilia Hedin (AAU-WT) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Diane Phan/Laone Botshoma (AAU-WT) def. Kate Lowder/Victoria Sargent (MSC-WT) 8-5
2. Kaitlan Sera/Kelleen Sera (MSC-WT) def. Paola Correa Fe/Anna Ritchie (AAU-WT) 8-5
3. Amber Armendarez/Cyndle Curfman (MSC-WT) def. Maria Tenorio/Cecilia Hedin (AAU-WT) 8-6
Match Notes:
Mesa State College 1-1
Academy of Art University 2-6
T-4:00 A-50
